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Tinea capitis
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Tinea capitis is a fungal infection of
the scalp. It is usually seen only in children between the
ages of 4 and 14 years, and is very rare in adults. It
usually causes patchy hair loss and a flaky rash. Treatment
is with anti-fungus shampoos and/or pills.
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- Those affected generally have patchy areas of hair loss. The hair is usually weak and breaks in the middle.
- The scalp is often red, itchy, and scaly in the area of the hair loss.
- Sometimes there may be little bumps
filled with pus.
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Tinea capitis is due to a fungal
infection of the
scalp.
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- Examination -- the doctor easily recognizes the typical appearance of the rash.
- The doctor may also scrape the rash and look and examine it under the microscope.
- Sometimes a culture of the rash may be needed to make the diagnosis.
- Rarely will a biopsy need to be done.
- If this diagnosis is suspected in an
adult, he will need to be referred to a dermatologist, as it
rarely occurs other than in
children.
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- Treatment is often started with a selenium sulfide shampoo that is used every 1 to 3 days. This is combined with an oral anti-fungus medicine called griseofulvin.
- Children are treated with griseofulvin at a dose of 5 mg per kg of body weight per day, or approximately 125-250 mg/d. It is taken daily for 6 weeks. The child is then re-evaluated and the rash re-examined.
- Continue medication for 2 weeks
after the rash shows no evidence of the fungus.
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- A very small number of children
will have side effects from the oral drugs
use to treat ringworm. These can include yellow skin (jaundice), and
yellow appearance to the whites of the eyes; abdominal
pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. The side effects should
quickly resolve when the medication is stopped by your
doctor.
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- Children should be warned not to share hats, combs, and
brushes with playmates.
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- A severe form of
tinea capitis, called kerion formation, can occur and lead
to a lot of scarring of the scalp as well as hair
loss. This needs to be treated by a dermatologist.
- Griseofulvin can
cause birth defects and should not be taken by women who
are pregnant or by those trying to become pregnant.
- All women who
are going to take griseofulvin need to take a pregnancy
test before starting the medicine.
- Women on birth control pills need to
be careful because griseofulvin can decrease the
effectiveness of the pills. Therefore, all women taking
Griseofulvin need to be using two forms of contraception.
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