Grey-patch tinea (also tinea capitis of the grey-patch type) is a special, only slightly inflammatory clinical form of scalp dermatophytosis(microsporia). In this form of tinea, the hairs break off just above the scalp surface, resulting in a "stubble field" type appearance. Circumscribed foci of alopecia with a gray, scaly skin surface are the primary manifestation.
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Grey-Patch-TineaB35.0
DefinitionThis section has been translated automatically.
EtiopathogenesisThis section has been translated automatically.
Typically caused by ectothrix dermatophytes (the fungal spores are located on the outside of the hair shaft - ectothrix), especially:
- Microsporum canis (zoophilic pathogen, most common pathogen in Europe), inflammatory component
- In anthrophilic pathogens such as Microsporum audouinii, T violaceum and M.ferrugineum, hardly inflammatory.
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Especially for children.
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Characteristic:
- round or oval hairless areas
- gray, fine scaling ("asbestos-like")
- broken hairs a few millimeters above the scalp
- hardly any inflammation
- no pain, no itching or only slight itching
The affected area appears "ashen", hence the name "gray patch".
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Wood light: apple-green fluorescence in Microsporum infections
(classic for gray-patch tinea)
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Light microscopic findings:
- Fungal spores surround the outside of the hair shaft
- Destruction of the hair cuticle
- Hair breakage just above the scalp
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S.under microsporia:
systemically necessary (e.g. griseofulvin, terbinafine - depending on age)
additionally antifungal shampoos (e.g. ketoconazole)
LiteratureThis section has been translated automatically.
- Leung AKC et al. (2020) Tinea Capitis: An Updated Review. Recent Pat Inflamm Allergy Drug Discov 14:58-68.