Overview of dermatophyte infections at the dermatology outpatient clinic of a tertiary institution in Nigeria.

Background: Dermatophytes are the commonest organisms causing superficial fungal infections. Earlier epidemiologic studies in Nigeria revealed dermatophyte infection as one of the top three reasons for visiting the dermatologists.

Objective: To determine the frequency, characteristics and predisposing factors to dermatophyte infections at the dermatology outpatient clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) from March 2003 to September 2009.

Methods: The clinic records and case notes of patients were reviewed. Patients' data which includes demographic details, characteristics of disease, predisposing factors and clinical presentation findings were entered on Excel spreadsheets and analyzed using SPSS 15. Results were displayed using frequency tables.

Results: Dermatophyte infections were found in 8.39% of patients attending the dermatology outpatient clinic of LUTH. Tinea pedis was the most frequently seen, occurring in 33.6% of patients; followed by tinea corporis (20%), tinea manuum (18.6%) and tinea capitis (14.8%). Dermatophyte infection was most frequently seen in the 3rd and the 4th decades of life, except tinea capitis seen predominantly in the 1st decade of life and tinea intertrigo in the 5th decade.

Conclusion: Dermatophyte infections occur at all age groups, although frequency of occurrence differs with age group and site of the body affected.