Epidemiological and clinical survey of cutaneous candidiasis for 15 years (1958-1972).

Abstract

Statistical studies were carried out on 422 cases of cutaneous candidiasis observed at Department of Dermatology, Tohoku University Hospital, for the period of 15 years from 1958 to 1972. The incidence of this disease showed definite increase after the year of 1963, particularly in the latest two years. Candidiasis of the glabrous skin was the commonest among them, 77.8% in frequency. The annual incidence of paronychia et onychia blastomycetica and erosio interdigitalis blastomycetica represented 10.9% and 6.9%, respectively, and even in the latest two years, their numbers were stationary, a few in a year. On the other hand, infantile cutaneous candidiasis showed remarkable increase in number, so that the apparent increase after the year of 1963 would be attri-butable chiefly to the increase of infantile cutaneous candidiasis. During 5 years from 1968 to 1972, there were observed 77 cases of infantile candidiasis. It is noted that among these cases, the cases of the extensive and disseminated type showed significant increase in number and now they reached roughly to the level of ordinary genitor-inguinal types in number. The prolonged or erroneous use of topical corticosteroid is thought to attribute to the increase of infantile cutaneous candidiasis and to the development to extensive and disseminated type lesions.