Defense Date

11-20-2020

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Type

Master of Science

Degree Name

Biological Sciences

First Advisor

Dr. Mir Saleem

Second Advisor

Dr. Emily Schmitt

Keywords

ECOWAS, West Africa, skin, disease, dermatoses, epidemiology, pathophysiology, dermatologic, prevalence, cutaneous, incidence, immunology, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Cameroon, US, frequency.

Abstract

This capstone reviews the common skin diseases on a global scale. With these dermatoses being further funneled into Africa and then magnified into common West African dermatoses, the meta-analyses of literature available paints a clear picture of the epidemiological & pathological factors and their contribution to the skin disease. Each article analysed in this analysis was taken from a 20-year span of January 2000 to December 2019. The selection of articles was fine-tuned by identifying the distribution of skin disease, revealing the populations affected (age, gender, ethnicity, etc), the main causes, country of origin, the prognosis of disease, and the pathology of the specific skin condition. The top 15 common skin diseases of West-Africa ranked by count and relative frequency are Atopic Dermatitis (RF: 7.49%), Pityriasis (Tinea) Versicolor (RF: 4.94%), Acne Vulgaris (RF: 3.73%), Papular Urticaria (RF: 3.47%), Tinea (unspecified dermatophytosis) (RF: 2.94%), Contact Dermatitis (RF: 2.94%), Scabies (RF: 2.76%), Seborhheic Dermatitis (RF: 2.50%), Pityriasis Rosea (RF: 2.26%), Urticaria (2.18%), Human Pappilomavirus / Viral Warts (1.85%), Tinea Capitis (RF: 1.80%), Lichen Planus (1.77%), Vitiligo (RF: 1.77%) and Lichen Simplex Chronicus (RF: 1.45%). Moreover, each epidemiological and pathophysiological/pathological factor plays a role in skin disease, and unveiling the methods, such as potential immunotherapies and public health initiatives, to alleviate the burden of these dermatoses are at the forefront of continuing this research.

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