Original article
Tinea capitis in adults in southern Spain. A 17-year epidemiological studyTinea capitis en pacientes adultos del sur de España. Un estudio epidemiológico de 17 años

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riam.2015.02.007Get rights and content

Abstract

Background

Tinea capitis is an infection of the hair due to keratinophilic fungi, known as dermatophytes. Although the disease is common in children, several studies have also shown that it is far from unusual in adults, especially in post-menopausal women and immunocompromised persons.

Aims

To determine the incidence of tinea capitis in adults in our area, as well as the predisposing factors (gender, immunity), and causative species.

Materials and methods

A retrospective study was conducted over a period of 17 years, from 1995 to 2011, collecting data on cases of tinea capitis diagnosed in our dermatology department. Information collected for all patients included age, gender, location of the lesions, results of direct examination and culture, immune status, cause of immunosuppression, and the prescribed treatment.

Results

Thirty-three cases (11.4%) out of 289 cases of tinea capitis occurred in adults. Most of these adults (72%) were immunocompetent, and the rest were immunocompromised for different reasons. Three of the patients were men and 30 women, with 70% of the latter being post-menopausal. Trichophyton species were isolated in 76% of these adult patients, with Trichophyton violaceum being the most common. Treatment with oral terbinafine was successful in all these cases. Microsporum species were responsible for the other cases, all treated successfully with oral griseofulvin.

Conclusions

This series of tinea capitis in adults is one of the largest to date. It shows that tinea capitis is not uncommon among the immunocompetent adult population. In our geographical area, except for prepubescent patients, most cases affecting the adult population were caused by species of the genus Trichophyton. In these cases the treatment of choice was oral terbinafine, which considerably shortened the treatment time, and was associated with fewer side effects than the classical griseofulvin.

Resumen

Antecedentes

Tinea capitis es una infección del pelo producida por hongos queratinofílicos llamados dermatofitos. Aunque la enfermedad es más común en niños, varios estudios han demostrado que no es infrecuente en adultos, especialmente en mujeres posmenopáusicas y personas inmunodeprimidas.

Objetivo

Determinar la incidencia de tinea capitis en adultos de nuestra área, así como los factores predisponentes (inmunidad, género) y agentes causales.

Métodos

Llevamos a cabo un estudio retrospectivo de un periodo de 17 años, desde 1995 a 2012, seleccionando casos de tinea capitis diagnosticados en nuestro departamento de Dermatología. Se recogió información clínico-demográfica de los pacientes que incluyó edad, sexo, localización de las lesiones, resultados de examen directo y cultivos, inmunidad, causa de la inmunosupresión y tratamiento.

Resultados

De los 289 casos de tinea capitis, 33 (11,4%) eran de pacientes adultos. La mayoría (72%) fueron inmunocompetentes; la inmunodepresión en el resto de los casos era por diferentes causas. Tres de los pacientes eran hombres y 30 mujeres, la mayoría de las cuales eran posmenopáusicas (70%). Las especies de Trichophyton fueron aisladas en el 76% de los casos, con Trichophyton violaceum como el dermatofito más común; el tratamiento con terbinafina oral fue exitoso en todos los casos. Las especies microspóricas fueron responsables de los casos restantes y tuvieron una buena evolución con griseofulvina.

Conclusiones

Esta serie de tinea capitis del adulto es una de las más largas hasta la fecha. Se demuestra que tinea capitis no es infrecuente entre la población adulta inmunocompetente. En nuestra área geográfica, salvo en prepúberes, la mayoría de los casos de tinea capitis de adultos son debidos a especies del género Trichophyton. En estos casos el tratamiento de elección fue la terbinafina oral, que acorta considerablemente la duración de tratamiento y se asocia a menos efectos secundarios que la clásica griseofulvina.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

We undertook a retrospective study over a period of 17 years, from 1995 to 2011, of all cases of tinea capitis diagnosed in our dermatology department. The clinical diagnosis was confirmed in all the patients by direct examination using KOH and culture in Sabouraud-chloramphenicol, with and without cycloheximide. The sample was incubated at 27 °C for 2 weeks. Cultures without evident fungal growth were kept for another 3 weeks before being considered negative. The mycological diagnosis was made

Results

Tinea capitis represented 22% of all the skin infections due to dermatophytes. Thirty-three cases (11.4%) out of the 289 cases of tinea capitis were from adults (Fig. 1). Most of these adults (72.7%) were immunocompetent (Table 1), while the others were immunocompromised for different reasons (Table 2). Only three of these adult patients were men, as compared to 30 women, most of them postmenopausal (21 patients, 70%).

In the group of postmenopausal women, 15 (71%) were immunocompetent, while 6

Discussion

The incidence of tinea capitis in our country is higher in children (88.6%) than in adults (11.4%). In adult patients, species of Trichophyton were isolated in 76% of the cases, and species of Microsporum (M. canis and M. gypseum) in the rest. This fact contrasts with the data found in children in our geographical region, as M. canis is by far the main causative agent of tinea capitis in childhood (63.5%).8

Although tinea capitis is considered rare in adults, as shown in this and other studies,13

Financial support

None.

Conflict of interest

None.

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