Retrospective two-centre study on prepubertal children with Tinea capitis in Korea

Tinea capitis is an infectious dermatological disorder caused by dermatophytes that occur primarily in children. It has recently been brought under effective control in Korea since the introduction of oral antifungal medications and the implementation of concerted public health initiatives. Therefore, its incidence rate has decreased considerably. We investigated changes in the epidemiological and mycological characteristics of tinea capitis patients under the age of 10 in Korea. Using medical records from Kyungpook National University Hospital and the Catholic Skin Disease Clinic from 1989 to 2018, we retrospectively investigated the characteristics of 786 patients with tinea capitis. Of the 786 patients, 744 were KOH-positive. The annual incidence of tinea capitis was decreased from 120 to less than 10 between 1989 and 2018. Overall, 446 (56.74%) were male and 340 (43.26%) were female, representing a ratio of 1:0.8. In terms of the seasonality of it, 276 (35.11%) visited hospital in winter, 193 (24.55%) in spring, 177 (22.52%) in fall and 140 (17.81%) in summer. Dermatophytes were cultured from 628 patients. Microsporum canis was the most common dermatophyte (73.16%), followed by Trichophyton verrucosum and Trichophyton rubum. Of the 786 patients, 577 (73.41%) lived in urban areas and 209 (26.59%) in rural areas. Changes in the epidemiological and mycological characteristics of children with tinea capitis were shown in incidence, sex distribution, seasonality and causative dermatophytes. The incidence of tinea capitis has fallen significantly in prepubertal children. Nevertheless, continuous surveillance is needed to prevent tinea capitis in Korea.