Dupuytren’s Disease in a Young Man of Sudanese Origin

Background: Dupuytren’s disease (DD) may be more common in patients of African descent than previously thought. Case Presentation: A 27-years-old gentleman of Sudanese origin presented with a 3-months history of a painful swelling in his right palm. An MRI scan showed no signs of malignancy, and an excision biopsy showed no signs of infection, including tuberculosis. Histology showed superficial fibromatosis or Dupuytren’s disease. Conclusion: Our patient is very young to have developed DD, but studies of patients of African descent have not considered recurrence rate. It would be useful to investigate if the risk factors for recurrence are the same as those in patients of European descent, to be able to counsel them appropriately for surgery. Furthermore, there are no studies of the genetic variation underlying DD in an African population, to see if the genetic predisposing factors are the same as those identified in patients of European descent.