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Dermoscopy may be useful in presumptive diagnosis of tinea capitis
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Using dermoscopy to detect factors such as comma hairs, black dots and broken hairs with multiple white bands may be helpful in diagnosing pediatric patients with tinea capitis, according to researchers.
In a poster presented at the 70th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, Debora Cadore de Farias, MD, and colleagues reported their efforts to determine whether dermoscopy could be used to diagnose tinea capitis in children, as well as to compare findings in both ectothrix and endothrix infections.
They performed dermoscopy on pediatric patients (n=17) aged between 1 and 9 years with tinea capitis, isolating Microsporum canis in 9 patients, Trichophyton tonsurans in 3 patients, Trichophyton mentagrophytes in 1 patient, Microsporum gypseum in 1 patient and Trichophyton rubrum in 1 patient.
According to the researchers, 13 patients were found to have comma hairs, including 10 with ectothrix infection and 3 with endothrix infection. Additional findings included 10 cases in which the presence of black dots was detected, and 9 cases in which there were broken hairs with multiple white bands.
“Although not always present, comma hairs, black dots and broken hairs with multiple white bands should raise suspicion of both ectothrix and endothrix infections and may be used to guide diagnosis and management in children with patchy alopecia,” the researchers wrote.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
For more information:
de Farias DC. Abstract #5674. Presented at: The 70th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. March 16-20, 2012. San Diego, Calif.