Search

Copyright © Ordem dos Médicos 2018, Nowadays, due to the increasingly frequent migratory circuits in Europe and the increment of the migrant population in Portugal, mainly in the Lisbon metropolitan area, it is more and more common to find several dermatological conditions and disorders in Africans seen in our health care system. There are few studies on dermatoses in these populations. It is important to know the biologic and physiologic differences of black skin in order to understand both the pathophysiology and manifestations of dermatoses. The recognition of many of them represents a challenge to any clinician due to the specific characteristics of their skin. It is thus essential to know the different patterns and frequencies of skin diseases in Africans, in order to optimize the diagnosis, approach and treatment., Atualmente, devido aos circuitos migratórios cada vez mais frequentes na Europa e consequente aumento da população migrante em Portugal, principalmente na área metropolitana de Lisboa, é cada vez mais comum depararmo-nos com diversas patologias dermatológicas nos indivíduos africanos que recorrem ao sistema de saúde. Existem poucos estudos sobre dermatoses nesta população. É importante conhecer as diferenças biológicas e fisiológicas da pele negra, de modo a compreender a fisiopatologia e a manifestação das dermatoses. O diagnóstico de muitas delas constitui um desafio para qualquer clínico devido às características específicas da sua pele. É essencial conhecer os diferentes padrões e frequências das doenças cutâneas em africanos, de modo a otimizar os seus diagnóstico, abordagem e tratamento

Copyright © Ordem dos Médicos, Introduction: Syphilis is a sexual and vertical transmitted disease. Its incidence is increasing in Europe, particularly, in Portugal. Material and methods: A descriptive, retrospective study was performed based on positive treponemal tests from January to December 2013, at the Santa Maria Hospital, Lisbon. In-patients and out-patients evaluated in medical appointments and at the emergency department were included. We proceeded to epidemiological characterization, disease classification and definition of risk factors. Results: We obtained a sample of 580 patients, of whom 51 with no clinical data and 45 with false positive serologies were excluded. There was a predominance of male patients (75%) and a mean age of 47 years. Most (59%) had syphilis successfully treated in the past and 3.7% were in follow-up. We recorded 13 primaries syphilis, 71 cases of secondary syphilis, 40 cases of early latent syphilis, 49 unknown duration syphilis and five cases of late latent syphilis. In the early syphilis group, 42% (n = 124) were HIV-positive and, in 8% both diagnosis were done simultaneously. Discussion: We emphasize the high prevalence of syphilis/HIV co-infection in patients with early syphilis, reinforcing the importance of promoting the use of preventive measures. We obtained 11% of patients with late clinical forms, which are notifiable since June 2014, in Portugal. All serological tests for the diagnosis of syphilis have limitations which emphasizes the importance of clinical-laboratory correlation. Conclusion: Syphilis remains an important public health problem. It is necessary to establish education programs, screening and follow-up strategies to reduce their prevalence and to perform more efficient screening of the partners.