To retrospectively study the incidence of chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CCLE) in French Guiana (FG), South America, during the period 1995-1999.
Private and public physicians specializing in dermatology, rheumatology, and internal medicine were asked during the year 2000 about lupus cases. We reviewed hospitals' files in data-processing departments.
Twenty new cases of CCLE, mostly discoid form, were identified during this 5-year period in this population of predominantly African descent. The average annual incidence of the disease was 2.59 per 100,000 inhabitants (95% confidence interval 1.5-4). However, our methodology could introduce underestimation of the incidence of the disease.
The average annual incidence of CCLE in FG appears to be low in this retrospective study, but is very similar to the only previously published data in the US.