Prevalence of melasma among premenopausal Latino women in Dallas and Fort Worth, TX, USA

by Werlinger, Kelly D.

PREVALENCE OF MELASMA AMONG PREMENOPAUSAL LATINO WOMEN IN DALLAS AND FORT WORTH, TX, USA KELLY D. WERLINGER The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 2006 Supervising Professor: Amit Pandya, MD Background: The prevalence of melasma in Latino women is unknown. Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a valid instrument for determining the presence of melasma in Latino women and to administer this instrument by telephone to premenopausal Latino women living in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Methods: A questionnaire to investigate rates of self-reported melasma was developed and validated. This questionnaire was used to interview 500 premenopausal Latino women by telephone. Results: The questionnaire was found to have a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 82%. The prevalence of melasma in 500 premenopausal Latino women was 8.8%. Spanish as a primary language was found to be an important risk factor for self-reporting melasma. Conclusion: Melasma is common among premenopausal Latino women in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, especially among Spanish-speakers. A validated English and Spanish instrument has been developed which can be used to determine the prevalence of melasma. 4