Clinical and Mycological Studies of Tinea Capitis in Chonnam Area (1986-1995)

Chun, Inn Ki; Lim, Mi Hae; Lee, Seung Chul; Won, Young Ho

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The incidence, clinical characteristics and the causative fungi of tinea capitis vary according to geography and time. Although the clinical and mycological studies of tinea capitis have been widely reported in other provinces, the study in Chonnam province has not been estabilished yet.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, epidemiological and clinical features and the etiologic agents of tinea capitis in Chonnam area. METHODS: We performed clinical and mycological studies on 72 cases of tinea capitis which have been diagnosed by KOH examination or fungus culture or treatment trial among outpatients of Dermatologic Clinics of Chonnam University during 10 years.
RESULTS
AND CONCLUSION: The incidence of tinea capitis was 0.15% of outpatients and 2.6% of 2,889 superfical fungal infections. The ratio of male to female patients was 1 : 1.05. Most of patients(64 cases, 89%)were children under the age of 15, and 8 patients(11%) were the age of 15 to 80. The most common site of tinea capitis was parietal. Tinea faciale was combined in 14 cases(19.4%). In clinical features, the gray patch type was showed in 43.0%, pustular folliculitis-like in 25.0%, kerion celsi in 22.2%, seborrhic dermatitis-like lesion in 9.7% of patients with tinea capitis. Microsporum(M) canis was the most common causative fungi of tinea capitis(76.4%), with Ttichophyton(T) mentagrophytes(11.8%), T. rubrum(5.9%), T. verrucosum(2.0%), T. violaceum(2.0%), M. gypseum(2.0%) in the order of decreasing frequency.