Pityriasis versicolor in the Central African Republic: a randomized study of 144 cases.

The prevalence and the principal epidemiological characteristics of pityriasis versicolor have been studied in a randomized population of 870 adult individuals (418 males and 452 females) in the Central African Republic. The general clinical prevalence was 16.6%. Males were affected more often than females (20.6% vs. 12.9%). For both sexes, the maximum prevalence was in the 15 to 25-year-old age groups (23.5%). Lesions commonly occurred over the face (49.3%) and upper trunk (48.6%). Different climatic areas within the country, type of urbanization, religion and general hygiene showed no relevance to the disease. The prevalence was higher among people living in rammed-earth houses than in people living in hard-built houses. The sebaceous activity of the skin, a feature which is racially and genetically determined, probably constitutes a primary factor for developing this mycosis, associated with the tropical climate as an additional environmental factor.