Adult tinea capitis and tinea barbae in a tertiary Portuguese hospital: A 11‐year audit

Abstract

Summary Adult tinea capitis and tinea barbae are nowadays considered uncommon in developed countries. Despite their potential for morbidity and healthcare costs, few series have attempted to characterise these infectious disorders. We conducted a cross‐sectional study to analyse the epidemiological, clinical and mycological characteristics of adult tinea capitis and tinea barbae of a large tertiary centre in Southern Europe. All adult patients with a mycological‐confirmed tinea capitis or barbae over a 11‐year period (January 2008 to December 2018) were considered for the analysis. Concerning tinea capitis, 860 culture‐confirmed diagnoses were made during this 11‐year period, of which only 15 (1.5%) occurred in adults (15 patients). A disproportionately high number of patients were female and immunocompromised. Microsporum audouinii (20%) and Trichophyton rubrum (20%) were the most common isolates. Half of the cases were initially misdiagnosed. Regarding tinea barbae, 7 cases were diagnosed over this time period. Overuse of topical steroids was widespread in this population. Trichophyton rubrum was the infectious agent in all cases. Initial misdiagnosis was very common (43%). Adult tinea capitis and tinea barbae can still be observed in contemporary practice and remain a public health concern, with the immunosuppressed patient being particularly affected. Initial misdiagnosis is a common occurrence. Anthropophilic fungi are now the most common aetiologic agents of these infections, and they will probably continue to do so as the large urban centres expand peripherally. Awareness for this diagnosis is necessary to prevent unwarranted morbidity and costs.

Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of tinea capitis in northern Taiwan during 2014‐2019: An unusual bimodal distribution of patients and comparison of paediatric and adult cases

“…On the other hand, adult males and immunocompromised patients can also suffer from TC, and the two entities often overlapped in our study. Since TC is known to be more frequently encountered in immunocompromised adults, 2‐4,25‐28 we suggest that the clinicians should notice this possible immunosuppression manifestation, especially in the adult male cases.…”

“…Although most dermatologists are familiar with TC in children, adults with TC are often neglected despite the increasing number of cases 2,3 . Adult TC only contributed 1.7% to 15.2% of cases in previous studies 4,5 . Why is adult TC uncommon?…”

Adult tinea capitis in China: A retrospective analysis from 2000 to 2019

“…To our knowledge, several studies have shown that TC is not so rare in adults particularly in postmenopausal women and immunocompromised patients, for instance, AIDS patients, transplant recipients or people receiving high‐dose steroid or immunosuppressive agent 4‐6 . Clinical presentations of ATC may be atypical, which easily lead to misdiagnosis.…”

“…To our knowledge, several studies have shown that TC is not so rare in adults particularly in postmenopausal women and immunocompromised patients, for instance, AIDS patients, transplant recipients or people receiving high-dose steroid or immunosuppressive agent. [4][5][6] Clinical presentations of ATC may be atypical, which easily lead to misdiagnosis. Here, we aim to evaluate epidemiological, clinical and mycological characteristics of ATC in China mainland, by reviewing all published clinical and aetiological data of tinea capitis reported since 2000.…”

Tinea Capitis by Microsporum canis in an Elderly Female with Extensive Dermatophyte Infection

“…The proportion of adults among tinea capitis patients was reported to be 2.9% and 4.2% in multi-centre studies from Mexico [ 5 ] and Egypt [ 6 ], respectively. In single-centre studies, this proportion varies significantly in different countries, from 1.5 to 44.3% [ 7 – 11 ]. In mainland China, adults took up 6.0–13.6% of the tinea capitis population in the 1980s–1990s [ 12 ].…”