Clinical,epidemiological, and therapeutic profile of dermatophytosis

BACKGROUND

The cutaneous mycoses, mainly caused by dermatophyte fungi, are among the mostcommon fungal infections worldwide. It is estimated that 10% to 15% of thepopulation will be infected by a dermatophyte at some point in their lives, thusmaking this a group of diseases with great public health importance.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the clinical, epidemiological, and therapeutic profile ofdermatophytosis in patients enrolled at the Dermatology service of Universidade doEstado do Pará, Brazil, from July 2010 to September 2012.

METHOD

A total of 145 medical records of patients diagnosed with dermatophytosis weresurveyed. Data were collected and subsequently recorded according to a protocoldeveloped by the researchers. This protocol consisted of information regardingepidemiological and clinical aspects of the disease and the therapy employed.

RESULTS

The main clinical form of dermatophyte infection was onychomycosis, followed bytinea corporis, tinea pedis, and tinea capitis. Furthermore, the female populationand the age group of 51 to 60 years were the most affected. Regarding therapy,there was a preference for treatments that combine topical and systemic drugs, andthe most widely used drugs were fluconazole (systemic) and ciclopirox olamine(topical).

CONCLUSION

This study showed the importance of recurrent analysis of the epidemiologicalprofile of dermatophytosis to enable correct therapeutic and preventive managementof these conditions, which have significant clinical consequences, with chronic,difficult-totreat lesions that can decrease patient quality of life and causedisfigurement.