ABSTRACT
Introduction: Pityrosporosis is a prevalent superficial fungal infection of the skin caused by Malassezia SPP, which is a part of normal skin flora. This organism is a lipophilic and lipid dependent yeast which transforms in to a pathogenic mycelial form under specific conditions. Considering the previous studies, there may be a relation between blood lipids and pityrosporosis, a prospective study was undertaken over a 12 months period in the Departments of Mycology, Dermatology and Biochemistry, Emam Reza Hospital, Mashhad
Materials and Methods: The population of study was randomly selected as the following groups:
Group 1: 50 patients suffering from severe pityrosporosis
Group 2: 50 individuals with negative direct smear for Pityrosporum ovale
Group 3: 50 persons with high level of cholesterol and triglyceride in their blood serum examination
Group 4: 50 individuals with normal level of cholesterol and triglyceride in their blood serum examination
A questionnaire was completed for each individual. Direct stained skin smear [methylen blue] and blood serum examination for cholesterol and triglyceride were performed for all 4 groups by RA-1000 system
Results: The results showed that:
1. In 28% of Patients with pityrosporosis, total cholesterol levels were higher than normal which showed a significant difference in comparison with the control group
2. In 22% of patients, triglyceride levels were higher than normal which showed a significant difference in comparison with the control group
3. In 32% of patients, LDL-C levels were higher than normal which showed a significant difference in comparison with the control group
4. There was no significant relationship between HDL-C levels and the group suffering from pityrosporosis
5. In those patients suffering only from hyperlipidemia, pityrosporosis was uncommon
Conclusion: On the basis of statistical analysis, it is concluded that there is a relation between pityrosporosis and blood levels of total cholesterol and triglyceride LDL-C, therefore control of blood levels of lipids possibly can be effective in prophylaxis and treatment of pityrosporosis