Epidemiology and Clinical Findings of Tinea Capitis: A 23-Year Retrospective, Single-Center Study in Guangzhou, China

Background Tinea capitis (TC) is one of the most common public health concerns due to its high incidence in preadolescent children. The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of TC vary depending on geographical regions and have changed over the past decades. Objectives This study aimed to identify epidemiological changes in recent decades, including the prevalence and clinical and mycological characteristics of TC in southern China. Methods We conducted a retrospective study at the Department of Dermatology of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University from June 1997 to August 2020. Results We retrospectively evaluated 401 TC patients. Of these, 157 patients (39.2%) were preschool children aged 3–7 years and the majority were males. However, the prevalence in children under 3 years old is on the rise (from 19.67% during 1997–2010 to 32.49% during 2011–2020). Grey patches were the most common clinical pattern and mostly occurred in children (71.3%), while the proportion of grey patches and black dots was almost the same in adults. Although Microsporum canis (76%) was the most common causative organism, the number of the T. mentagrophytes complex , as a zoophilic fungus, has increased more than that of the anthropophilic fungi T. violaceum in the recent decade. There was a significant difference in the portion of sex among different age groups, and the gender difference was more notable in the adult group, which showed that the TC prevalence in females was 9 times that in males. In males, M. canis and the T. mentagrophytes complex were the two most common causative fungi, while M. canis and T. violaceum were the two most common causative fungi in females. Additionally, approximately 61.7% of black dot TCs occurred in females. For treatment, oral antifungal therapeutics were widely used in most patients with different treatment durations, although without a significant difference in efficacy (P = 0.106). Conclusions In the last decade, the prevalence of TC in children under 3 years old increased, and boys dramatically outnumbered girls. In adults, the TC prevalence in females is nine times that in males, and most TCs occurring in females are presented as black dots. Moreover, the zoophilic T. mentagrophytes complex has replaced T. violaceum and is now the second most prevalent organism, followed by M. canis of TC.