Bilateral Dupuytren's contracture in a black patient

Abstract

The first case of Dupuytren's contracture in a black patient with no obvious caucasian admixture was reported in 1979. This condition is rare in the purely black population and since 1979 only 23 cases have been reported. We present the case of a black man with no history of caucasian admixture with bilateral Dupuytren's contracture. We suggest that this condition may not be as rare as the literature suggests and, that canvassing other hand societies for their experience, particularly in the continent of Africa, may help to establish the true incidence of this condition.