TITLE:
Tinea Capitis in Adults
AUTHORS:
Ornella Cervetti, Paola Albini, Veronica Arese, Federica Ibba, Manuela Novarino, Michele Panzone
KEYWORDS:
Dermatophytosis; Tinea Capitis; Scalp Ringworm; Adults; Elderly
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Microbiology,
Vol.4 No.1,
January
16,
2014
ABSTRACT: Objective: To determine the epidemiology and the aetiology of
tinea capitis in the elderly in Turin (Italy). Methods: We prospectively
collected all cases of adult tinea capitis in the Dermatology Clinic of the
University of Turin from January 1997 to December 2012. Results: 13 patients (4
males and 9 females) with a mean age of 56.5 years were found to be affected by
tinea capitis among a total number of 508 (2.6%). Diagnosis was made on
clinical appearance and mycological examination. Culture identified M. canis in 7 patients (53.8%), T. mentagrophytes in 3 patients (23.1%), T. rubrum in 2 patients (15.4%) and T. violaceum in 1
patient (7.7%). 6 cases reported contact with animals. Treatment consisted in
administration of Griseofulvin at the dose of 500 mg/d or Terbinafine at the
dose of 250 mg/d for at least 8 weeks. A complete recovery was observed in 10
patients, whereas 3 of them suffered from cicatritial alopecia. Conclusion:
This study wants to highlight the importance of considering tinea capitis as a
differential diagnosis in elderly patients with scaly scalp lesions, even
though it is considered to be rare in adults.