Prevlence of pityriasis versicolor in children

ABSTRACT

Pityriasis versicolor [pv] is a common fungal skin infection characterized by lighter or darker patches on the skin. Patches are most often found on the chest or back and prevent the skin from tanning evenly. It occurs mostly in adolescence and early adulthood [its prevalence 47%], but it is very rare in children. This condition results from an overgrowth of Malassezia furfur, which is part of normal skin flora and produces color changes only when it flourishes beyond normal levels. The aim to study the prevelance of pityriasis versicolor in infants and children in our locality. 150 children were randomly selected [76 males, 74 females aged 2-8 years with mean age 5.1 +/- 1.7], through a period of 18 months, all above children are subjected to thorough clinical examination, Wood's lamp examination, 10% KOH examination of skin scrapings with addition of 20% blue-black ink and therapeutic test of antifungal drugs are taken for children who have pityriasis versicolor. 61 children were clinically and mycologically diagnosed as pityriasis versicolor. So the prevelance of pityriasis versicolor in this age was 40.7% most of this patients lived in rural areas [temprate areas and in summer months], boys and girls are equally affected in having pityriasis versicolor. The commonest site of involvement was the face and neck in 80.9% of the cases. Most of the cases presented in summer months. The high prevelance of pityriasis versicolor in these children is attributed to high humidity, especially that most of affected children are living in rural areas, beside that most of these children of low socioeconomic class [bad nutrition]. The current study makes a strong case for routine surveillance and evaluation of superficial mycoses in children especially in the warmer and humid countries of the tropics