Clinico-mycological study of dermatophytosis in children

Abstract

The picture of dermatophytosis in pediatric population is changing and requires data from different geographical locations. The present study was conducted to assess the clinico-mycological characteristics of dermatophytosis in children presenting to our department. Aim of the study was to assess the clinico-mycological characteristics of dermatophytosis in children We included patients aged 18 years or less with suspected dermatophytosis infectionand a complete physical examination of the skin, including nails and hair, was performed on all children. All the children were subjected to potassium hydroxide (KOH) examination and culture on Sabouraud’s Dextrose Agar. 150 patients were included, 104 were aged more than 10 years, 81 out of 150 were males and most common clinical variant was that of Tinea cruris (48.7%) followed by corporis (35%). KOH positive patients were fungal culture positive. Most common species on culture was Trichophyton rubrum followed by Trichophyton mentagrophyte. 55 patients were using topical corticosteroids and it was found that KOH positivity was higher among the patients not using topical corticosteroids (91.6%) n=87 compared to those using corticosteroids (67.30%) n=37.: Our study represents a changing clinical scenario of paediatric dermatophytosis in western India. Education and counselling the parents regarding hygiene practices are very important and should be included in the management strategy.