The patient is a 17 year-old girl with an 9 year history of
thick scales on her scalp. She has used
multiple medications without relief. The
patient has been bullied at school where she has been called “lice girl.” Socially, this has been traumatic.
O/E: She is a
well-developed and well-nourished 17 yo with thick chestnut colored hair or
normal intelligence. There are no areas
of alopecia. Thick, silvery adherent scales are present on the occipital,
parietal and temporal scalp. When these
are removed, hair roots come out, too.
The remainder of the cutaneous examination is normal. No nail dystrophy.
Clinical Images (July 2017)
Failed Treatments (per mother):
"Every single otc dandruff shampoo
Every prescription medicated dandruff shampoo
Scalpicin
Prescribed scalp drops with and without coal tar
Every Tea Tree product you can find otc
Hot oil treatments
P & S Oil
Nutrogena T-gel and T-sal
Olive oil"
Terbinafine 250 mg p.o. x 1 month
Keflex 500 mg b.i.d. x 2 weeks
Scalp Biopsy read by Lynne Goldberg (Boston University Skin Path): was felt to be most compatible with psoriasis. Seborrhea was in the differential diagnosis but less likely.
Keflex 500 mg b.i.d. x 2 weeks
Scalp Biopsy read by Lynne Goldberg (Boston University Skin Path): was felt to be most compatible with psoriasis. Seborrhea was in the differential diagnosis but less likely.
Diagnosis: Working Dx: Tinea amiantacea secondary to psoriasis.
Discussion: This 17 yo girl has suffered with what appears to be tinea aminatacea for almost a decade. It appears unlikely that this is psoriasis. Tinea capitis has been ruled out by culture. Her bacterial culture showed 3+ S. aureus but I suspect this is a secondary invader as she did not improve with cewplanexin. Since the fungal culture was negative and these approaches were not helpful, I may recommend isotretinoin. The use of this has been reported for T. aminatacea only and in a Korean case report.
Dr. Goldberg's rotocol for Scalp Psoriasis, Tinea amiantacea and Related disorders:
Discussion: This 17 yo girl has suffered with what appears to be tinea aminatacea for almost a decade. It appears unlikely that this is psoriasis. Tinea capitis has been ruled out by culture. Her bacterial culture showed 3+ S. aureus but I suspect this is a secondary invader as she did not improve with cewplanexin. Since the fungal culture was negative and these approaches were not helpful, I may recommend isotretinoin. The use of this has been reported for T. aminatacea only and in a Korean case report.
Dr. Goldberg's rotocol for Scalp Psoriasis, Tinea amiantacea and Related disorders:
1. Wet hair at night
2. Apply Dermasmoothe scalp oil liberally to scalp. Leave on
overnight
3. Sleep with this overnight in a shower cap (to protect
pillow)
4. Shampoo in the morning with T-Sal or other dandruff shampoo
Do this nightly at first if possible, but after a week or so
she will be better and will not need to do it every night.
References:
1. Abdel-Hamid I et al. Pityriasis amiantacea:
a clinical and etiopathologic study of 85 patients. Int J Dermatol. 2003
Apr;42(4):260-4.
2. Kwon JI. Isotretinoin for
Tinea amiantacea (A Case Report). Korean J
Dermatol 2012;50(11):1002-1005 (In Korean)
3.
Mannino G, McCaughey C, Vanness E. A
case of pityriasis amiantacea with rapid response to treatment WMJ. 2014
Jun;113(3):119-20. Full
Free Text.
4. Scalp psoriasis: European consensus on grading and treatment
algorithm. Ortonne J. J Eur Acad
Dermatol Venereol. 2009 Dec;23(12):1435-44.
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