Tinea Capitis in Campania: A 5-Year Retrospective Study in Childhood and Adolescence (2013–2018)

Abstract

Introduction: Tinea capitis is a dermatophytic infection of the scalp hair commonly affecting children in school age. Methods: Here we report our data of a 5-year retrospective study, including all patients between 1 and 18 years old referred to our Mycological Laboratory for suspected tinea capitis. Results: A total of 202 patients were included and positive tests for tinea capitis were found in 86/202 (42.57%) patients. Most of the patients, 126/202 (62.38%), had not applied any topical therapy or taken any systemic drug, whereas 76/202 (37.62%) had already treated the disease. Discussion: We underline the importance of the differential diagnosis of scalp lesions, the possibility of the so-called “tinea incognita” in some cases, and the species isolated in fungal cultures. A high number of Trichophyton mentagrophytes were isolated (71/86; 82%) and this phenomenon may be due to a particular suspected clinical picture of tinea capitis that induced the dermatologist to ask for a more detailed exam.