Epidemiology of primary cutaneous amyloidoses in South America

Abstract:

In view of the large number of patients with primary cutaneous amyloidosis (PCA) seen in public, semipublic, and private medical services in Ecuador, and because of the chronicity of this condition, in 1973 we instituted a study in order to determine the epidemiologic aspects of this disease.1. Amyloid deposition in tissues is well described in inferior mammals, birds, and man,2 and may be localized (organ-specific) or diffuse. There are several theories about the nature and pathogenesis of PCA in the literature3 and the factors that induce the production and deposition of the amyloid are still poorly defined. Numerous authors have written on the pathogenesis of amyloidosis including Virchow, Teilum,4 Schultz et al.,5 Warren,6 Reimann et al.,7 Rueda Plata,8 Hashimoto and Yoong Ann,9 and many others in dermatology.10-13. In order to elucidate some lesser known aspects of PCA, we embarked on several studies that in 1980 led us to publish the fourth CILAD'S Monography, entitled "Primary Cutaneous Amyloidosis" which contains an extensive review of the literature14 and details of the investigations that we carried out in Ecuador. At the 2nd Bolivian Dermatology Congress in 1973, the Ecuadorian dermatologists presented several hitherto unknown clinical manifestations of cutaneous amyloidosis. We have concluded our study on the epidemiology of PCA in the South America continent. Our study involved the design of a special data collection questionnaire that was distributed among dermatologists in different South American countries. © 1990.

Año de publicación:

1990

Keywords:

Fuente:

scopus