A Clinico- Epidemiological Study Superficial Cutaneous Fungal Infection in Elderly Patients

Abstract

Background: The proportion of elderly population keeps on increasing. The number of dermatoses, and fungal infections, in turn continues to increase. There has been a recent upsurge of superficial cutaneous fungal infections. This observational cross sectional study aims to describe the clinico epidemiological pattern of patients presenting with the same, with some investigation as KOH mount and culture (in some cases) In total, 156 patients (103 males 53 females) of age between 60 and 84 years were evaluated, with mean duration of 10.3 months (male) and 12.9 months (female). Most patients came from farming families. The commonest coexisting disease was diabetes mellitus (type 2), followed by hypertension. The commonest site of infection was the body (tinea corporis, 56.4%), followed by onychomycosis (37.8%). This was followed respectively by tinea pedis (16.6%), tinea cruris (7.6%), tinea mannum (5%), tinea faciei (2.5%) balanoposthitis and oral candidiasis (0.6% each). It was seen that 86 patients (55.1%) had history of self/ non dermatologist prescribed medication. Most 62 (39.8%) of them had received over the counter steroid combinations (OTC, combination mixtures containing a mild to moderate potency steroid with clotrimazole/ miconazole and gentamycin/ ofloxacin). Most of the patients had extensive involvement as evident from the pattern of infection. Here, the scope of treating a patient with only topical therapy is excluded. Even then, an average patient (more than half as in the current study) attends the specialist after having received some or the other nonspecific therapy. Thus, proper referral and treatment with adequate drugs is pertinent. Methods: ?. Results: ?. Conclusion: ?