Tinea Capitis Mimicking Alopecia Areata

    January 2021 in “ Our Dermatology Online ”
    Saber Dooqaei Moqadam, Ramina Mofarrah, Kousar Jahani Amiri, Fatemeh Montazer, Anahita Barqi, Ramin Mofarrah
    Image of study
    TLDR A scalp infection can look like alopecia areata and get worse if treated incorrectly.
    In 2021, a case study was conducted on an adult patient who was initially diagnosed with alopecia areata, a condition causing hair loss, but was later found to have tinea capitis, a common scalp infection usually seen in children. The patient underwent a month of treatment for alopecia areata without any clinical benefits. A scalp biopsy revealed the presence of an endothrix dermatophytosis, a type of fungal infection, leading to a change in the patient's treatment to 250 mg of terbinafine daily for 8 weeks and 2% ketoconazole shampoo. After two months of this therapy, the patient showed hair regrowth and resolution of symptoms. The study concluded that tinea capitis can mimic the dermoscopic features of alopecia areata and can worsen under incorrect treatment, such as corticosteroids.
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