A Clinical and Mycological Study of Tinea Pedis / 대한의진균학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Tinea pedis is the most common dermatophytosis in Korea. It has been increased gradually with time. Its characteristics may change with social environments. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical characteristics of tinea pedis according to clinical type and its mycologic findings. METHODS: We performed clinical and mycological studies on 74 patients with tinea pedis among outpatients clinic of Department of Dermatology in Yeungnam University Hospital and Catholic Skin Clinic for 3 months, from January 2005 to March 2005. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: 1. The age distribution showed patients in their 60s and older than 60s to be most common. The ratio of male to female was 1.321 2. According to clinical types, the ratio of interdigital type was the highest (50%), followed by interdigital combined hyperkeratotic type (44.6%), interdigital combined with vesicular type (4%) and vesicular type (1.4%). There are no hyperkeratotic type and hyperkeratotic combined vesicular type. 3. The duration of longer than 5 years of tinea pedis was 73%. The proportion of interdigital combined with vesicular type was more common in its duration of longer than 10 years than its duration of less than 10 years. The durations of vesicular type and interdigital combined vesicular type were more than 5 years. 4. The rate of family history of tinea pedis was 52.7%. The broader area of involved site in the patients was, the higher the positivity in family history. 5. The rate of coexistent dermatophytosis with tinea pedis was 82.5%, and tinea unguium was the most common (79.7%). 6. The positive rate of culture was 68.9%, and Trichophyton(T.) rubrum was the most common isolates (96%) followed by T. mentagrophytes (4%). Compared with previous studies, age of patients with tinea pedis was older and duration was longer, the rate of coexistent dermatophytosis was increased, especially in tinea unguium.