Clinical and Trichoscopic Study of Tinea Capitis versus Alopecia Areata in Pediatric Patients

Abstract
Background: Trichoscopy (hair and scalp dermatoscopy) facilitates the diagnosis of hair and scalp disorders. The aim of this study was to identify the trichoscopic features in diagnosis of Tinea Capitis (TC) and to compare these findings with those of Alopecia Areata (AA).
Material and Methods: The current study included 30 patients with TC and 30 patients with AA. They were recruited from Outpatient Clinics of Dermatology and Venereology Department, Tanta University Hospitals. Clinical examination, laboratory investigations (direct microscopic examination with 10% potassium hydroxide and fungal culture) were done to confirm clinical diagnosis and dermoscopically aiming at finding the different dermoscopic features of TC and AA.
Results: Short broken hairs, black dots, comma shaped hairs, corkscrew hairs and zigzag shaped hairs were observed in patients with TC. Short vellus hairs, black dots, exclamation marks, white hairs and pig tail re-growing hairs were observed in patients with AA.
Conclusion: Comma shaped hairs, zigzag shaped hairs and cork screw were observed only in patients with TC. Yellow dots, exclamation mark hairs and short vellus hairs were observed only in patients with AA. Dermoscopy is rapid and reliable confirmatory test used to differentiate between TC and AA by detecting their characteristic dermoscopic features.