Abstract
Pityriasis versicolor (PV) also known as Tinea versicolor is a benign, chronic superficial fungal infection of the skin caused by Malassezia furfur. It is characterized by dyspigmented macules with fine branny scales. The purpose of this study was to assess the epidemiological profile and clinical pattern of PV in a group of patients visiting a tertiary care centre of Nepal. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out including 150 patients diagnosed to have PV at the outpatient dermatology department of Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital. Patients with the diagnosis of PV were included in the study. A detailed history was taken and it was followed by a thorough clinical examination. The findings of history and clinical examinations were documented in a predesigned proforma. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16 was used to tabulate the data and analyze the results. There was a slight male preponderance with maximum patients of the age group 11 – 20 years. A majority of patients were students. Forty three (28.7%) patients had similar problem in close contacts and 42% had recurrent disease. Wearing of occlusive synthetic clothing was the commonest predisposing factor. Upper chest and upper back were the most involved sites. Hypopigmented macules were the commonest lesions in 72.7%. Coexisting seborrheic dermatitis (commonly pityriasis capitis ) was present in 44.67% of patients. Clinicoepidemiological profile of PV in our setting is similar to many studies done mostly in India. But few findings differ which indicates the need for further studies in Nepal especially from Terai regions where the prevalence is expected to be more.
Highlights
Pityriasis versicolor (PV) known as Tinea versicolor (TV) is a benign, chronic superficial fungal infection of the skin caused by Malassezia yeasts which are part of the many microscopic organisms that normally live on the skin.[1]
It is a well understood fact that men are involved in lots of outdoor activities because of which the hot and humid environment predisposes them to develop PV
There was only a slight preponderance in male which could be explained by the fact that females are more concerned about the appearance of their skin; and in our community PV is confused with vitiligo, so that fear makes them consult a doctor immediately
Summary
Pityriasis versicolor (PV) known as Tinea versicolor (TV) is a benign, chronic superficial fungal infection of the skin caused by Malassezia yeasts which are part of the many microscopic organisms that normally live on the skin.[1]. Several factors are associated with increased risk of acquiring PV, like increased environmental humidity, application of oily preparation and creams (due to lipophilicity of the organism), corticosteroid overuse, genetic predisposition, malnutrition and hyperhidrosis.[5] Age wise, late teens and young adults have the increased risk of PV.[6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16] Though PV is pretty common in Nepal, very few studies have been conducted to look into the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of this disease. Due to widely varying environmental factors, epidemiological and clinical profile of PV is expected to vary from one geographic location to another. This study was done with the aim of finding out the epidemiological profile, common predisposing factors and clinical profile of PV in Nepalese people
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