The prevalence of common skin conditions in Australian school students: 4 Tinea pedis

Tinea pedis is a condition that is common, often undiagnosed and frequently inadequately treated. It is reported as being rare in young children, but there are relatively few population-based reports of prevalence. A randomiz ed sample of 2491 students from schools throughout the State of Victoria, A ustralia, were examined by dermatologists and dermatology registrars, who r ecorded clinical signs suggestive of tinea pedis, which were then confirmed by fungal culture. The age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of culture-proven tinea pedis was 5.2% [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.58-6.82] increasing wi th age from 2.1% (35% CI 0.95-3.28) in 4-6 year olds to 9.7% (95% CI 5.21-1 4.26) in 16-18 pear olds. A higher proportion of males (6.0%) had tinea ped is than females (4.3%). Trichophyton mentagrophytes and T, rubrum were the most common dermatophytes isolated on culture, Less than 40% of those with a positive diagnosis had reported on the questionnaire that they had tinea, Of those who reported correctly that they had tinea, 75% had used one or m ore products to treat their condition, of which more than 40% were classifi ed as unlikely to have any therapeutic effect on tinea pedis. These data co nfirm that tinea pedis, a potentially transmissible disease, is common in A ustralian schoolchildren, including those in primary school. There is a nee d for education programmes in schools on the nature of tinea pedis, the tre atment available, and the public health approach to infection control withi n the school and home environment.