Original articlePityrosporum folliculitis: A retrospective review of 110 cases
Section snippets
Methods
A retrospective chart review was performed of all patients age 0 to 21 years with Pityrosporum folliculitis who were seen by members of the University of Massachusetts Division of Dermatology from 2010 to 2015. Institutional review board approval was obtained before this study. Medical Informatics performed a search of qualifying patients using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes 706.1 (acne), 704.8 (folliculitis), and/or 111.0 (infection by Pityrosporum), and
Results
In total, 110 patients with documented Pityrosporum folliculitis were identified. The average age at diagnosis was 15 years. The majority were white and female. Presence or absence of pruritus was recorded in 44% of the included charts; pruritus was present in 65% of these 48 patients. Less than 20% of patients had associated seborrheic dermatitis and/or tinea versicolor. Four patients reported antecedent topical steroid use. More than 75% described persistent acne recently treated with an
Discussion
Acne affects approximately 85% of adolescents. Patients with acne often have increased sebum production and follicular hyperkeratinization leading to occlusion.6 Given that these factors and antibiotic therapy for acne predispose to development of Pityrosporum folliculitis, the 2 conditions may occur together. It is important to identify coexisting Pityrosporum folliculitis and treat it appropriately, as continued acne treatment will not improve and may worsen this condition.
Pityrosporum
References (8)
- et al.
Epidemiological characteristics of Malassezia folliculitis and use of the May-Grunwald-Giemsa stain to diagnose the infection
Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis
(2013) - et al.
[Malassezia folliculitis: characteristics and therapeutic response in 26 patients]
Ann Dermatol Venereol
(2007) - et al.
Guidelines of care for the management of acne vulgaris
J Am Acad Dermatol
(2016) - et al.
Pityrosporum folliculitis: diagnosis and management in 6 female adolescents with acne vulgaris
Arch Pediatr Adol Med
(2005)
Cited by (40)
Pityrosporum folliculitis in immunocompromised populations: A systematic review
2023, Journal of the American Academy of DermatologyDermoscopy as an Auxiliary Tool in the Assessment of Malassezia Folliculitis: An Observational Study
2022, Actas Dermo-SifiliograficasDermoscopy as an Auxiliary Tool in the Assessment of Malassezia Folliculitis: An Observational Study
2022, Actas Dermo-SifiliograficasDisorders of the hair and nails
2021, Pediatric DermatologyMalassezia folliculitis induced by prolonged oral corticosteroid: A case report
2024, Journal of Pakistan Association of DermatologistsClinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of Pityrosporum folliculitis in immunocompetent patients
2023, Archives of Dermatological Research
Funding sources: None.
Conflicts of interest: None disclosed.
A brief version of this information in this article was presented as a poster at the World Congress of Pediatric Dermatology, Chicago, IL; July 6-9, 2017.
Reprints not available from the authors.