Tinea Capitis in Patients Attending Zliten Teaching Hospital (North West of Libya)

Aims: To determine the frequency of occurrence of tinea capitis in determined population, which were patients, sought medical advice at outpatient dermatology clinic of Zliten Teaching Hospital in period of time from October 2014 to April 2016, and to determine the frequency of different clinical types of tinea capitis as well as to find out the causative etiological species.

Study Design: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted to analyse the data of patients affected with tinea capitis to find out the most affected age and sex. Furthermore, to discover the distribution of different clinical types and the etiology of tinea capitis.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in outpatient dermatology clinic of Zliten Teaching Hospital in Zliten (North West of Libya) for a period of 19 months, between October 2014 and April 2016.

Methodology: All patients with tinea capitis from different ages were enrolled in this study. Scrapings from infected scalps were examined under high power of microscope using 20% potassium hydroxide mount and cultured for fungal elements. Statistical Microsoft SPSS 20 was used to analyse the data.

Results: The preschool children were the most susceptible age group to develop tinea capitis, which were 36 child (represented 60% of total), while no sex predilection was detected. The grey patch type was the most frequent clinical type seen in 36 (reperesenting 60%) of all patients, followed by black dot and seborrheic type respectively. The Microsporum canis was the most frequent isolated dermatophyte from 16 patients (representing 53.3% of cultures with growth of dermatophytes) followed by Trichophyton rubrum, which was cultured from 7 patients (23.3%).

Conclusion: Preschool children were 36 child (60%) and were the most susceptible age group to develop tinea capitis and no sex predilection was detected. The grey patch was the most frequently seen clinical type. Microsporum canis was the most frequent etiologic agent causing tinea capitis in Zliten area.