Frequency, sociodemographic features and variations in clinical presentation of steroid induced dermatophytosis from a tertiary care hospital of Karachi.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the increase in frequency of tinea incognito along with its current presentation and etiologic features. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Dermatology Outpatient Clinic, Dr. Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, Dow University of Health Sciences. Period: July to November 2023. Material & Methods: It is a retrospective cross-sectional study done on subjects who were diagnosed with dermatophystosis from outpatient clinic of dermatology at Dr. Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi. The subjects were inquired about predisposing factors, drugs and family history, along with examination of the site of infection. The Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 was used for the analysis of data. Results: In this study, tinea corporis was determined to be the most frequent site of dermatophytoses (77.2%) with most of the participants being females (66.1%). Topical steroids were most commonly utilized (71.7%), whereas 44.9% of the population used steroid of moderate potency. Significant association of steroid use was found with itching (p = 0.019), pustules (p = 0.019) and erythroderma (p = 0.012) when compared with secondary signs and symptoms of dermatophytosis. Conclusion: This study concluded that wider prevalence, easy access and differentiable modes of application of steroids without proper consultation have worsened the clinical picture of dermatophytosis and increased the likelihood of recurrent infections.