Clinical Consequences of Delayed Treatment for Tinea Capitis: A Case Report
September 2024
in “
PubMed
”
TLDR Timely and correct treatment is crucial to prevent complications and scarring in children with scalp ringworm.
A 6-year-old Hispanic girl with a 1-month history of scalp pruritic patches, hair loss, and dandruff-like scales was initially treated with ketoconazole shampoo, which was ineffective. After worsening symptoms, she was hospitalized and treated with fluconazole and mometasone, but her condition did not improve. Cultures identified Trichophyton tonsurans, leading to a diagnosis of tinea capitis with kerion formation, and Pediculus humanus capitis. A 6-week course of griseofulvin, 1-week of permethrin, and 5-day oral prednisolone successfully treated her. This case underscores the need for better interprofessional communication and awareness of proper treatment to prevent severe outcomes like kerion formation and scarring.