Dermoscopy in the Diagnosis of Tinea Capitis Infections in Children

In a study involving 17 children aged 1-9 with tinea capitis from Brazil and Italy, researchers aimed to evaluate the usefulness of dermoscopy for the presumptive diagnosis of tinea capitis and to compare findings in ectothrix and endothrix infections. The children had infections caused by various fungal organisms, with 13 showing ectothrix and 4 showing endothrix hair shaft invasion. Dermoscopic findings included comma hairs in 13 patients (10 with ectothrix and 3 with endothrix), black dots in 10 cases, and broken hairs with multiple white bands in 9 cases. The study concluded that while not always present, the presence of comma hairs, black dots, and broken hairs with multiple white bands should raise suspicion for both ectothrix and endothrix infections and can guide diagnosis and management in children with patchy alopecia. There was no commercial support for this study.