Specific trichoscopic findings linked to tinea capitis

(HealthDay)—Specific trichoscopic findings are associated with tinea capitis (TC), according to a research letter published online Jan. 22 in the British Journal of Dermatology.

Ana Brasileiro, M.D., from Alameda Santo António dos Capuchos in Lisbon, Portugal, and colleagues conducted a prospective clinical study to characterize trichoscopic findings in children with clinical findings suggestive of TC and correlate them with results from mycological examination. Data were included for 50 patients aged younger than 13 years with clinical suspicion of TC. All patients underwent mycological examination, which was repeated once if initially negative.

The researchers found that the mycological examination was positive in 38 patients and negative in 12 patients (groups A and B, respectively). The most commonly identified dermatophytes were Microsporum audouinii and Trichophyton soudanense, seen in 23 and 11 patients, respectively, in group A. There was no significant between-group difference in alopecia patterns; the presence of multiple small alopecia patches was the most frequent pattern. There was no significant between-group difference in the frequency of each trichoscopic finding. There was a correlation for perifollicular scaling and the presence of any type of dystrophic hair with a positive culture (P = 0.0007); only the association between broken hairs and perifollicular scaling was significant (P = 0.007).

"While mycological examination remains the gold standard in TC diagnosis, further investigations are needed to validate the role [of] trichoscopy as a diagnostic tool per se for TC," the authors write.

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