Tinea Capitis

Tinea capitis (TC) is a common fungal infection of the scalp and hair shaft, primarily affecting children and rarely adults. It's caused by dermatophytes, fungi that invade the outer layer of skin and use keratin as a nutrient source. The pathogens belong to the Trichophyton and Microsporum genera. TC can be classified into three types based on the type of hair shaft invasion: Ectothrix, Endothrix, and Favus. Symptoms can range from minimal itching with little hair loss to severe inflammatory lesions with crusts, edema, and pus discharge. The severity of symptoms depends on the causative organism, type of hair invasion, host resistance level, and degree of inflammatory host response. In children, it can be confused with localized or patchy alopecias like alopecia areata and trichotillomania.