Immuno-allergic dermatoses in the Dermatology Department of Aristide LeDantec Hospital, Dakar, Sénégal: epidemiological, clinical, and etiological patterns

Abstract

Background: Immuno-allergic dermatoses have been highly increasing for a decade in African settings. They are the first chief complaint of dermatological conditions in Senegal. Our objective was to describe their epidemiological, clinical, and etiological patterns. Methodology: We conducted a looking-forward descriptive study for 1 year ranging from April 2020 to April 2021 in the Dermatology Department of Aristide LeDantec Hospital in Dakar. We recruited both inpatients and outpatients. Results: Among 5633 patients received for consultation, 149 cases were pooled accounting for a prevalence of 2,6%. The mean age was 31,42 years old. Atopic dermatosis was the first immuno-allergic dermatosis representing 66,4%. They were followed by toxidermia in 16,1% of cases, contact dermatitis in 12,75% of cases, and urticaria in 4,69%. For patients with atopic dermatosis, a respiratory prick test was carried out in 14,1% of patients with a positivity in 57,1% of cases. Of the patients with urticaria and/or angioedema, the main triggering factor was drug use in 57,14% of cases. In our study, antibiotics were the first drug-related toxidermia in our patients accounting for 41,7% of cases. They were followed by herbal therapy in 29,2% of cases and paracetamol in 16,7% of cases. Conclusion: To date, immuno-allergic dermatoses constitute the first chief complaint in our structure and are by far dominated by atopic dermatitis. Automedication and herbal therapy are public health concerns. By causing toxidermia, often in their most serious patterns, they can have a vital prone-threat involvement.