Snapshot A 10-year-old previously healthy African-American boy presents to the office with 2 weeks of a pruritic scalp. His mother reports that he has had patchy hair loss, and his two younger brothers have had mild scalp itchiness. She cuts all of their hair with the same hair trimmer. On exam, he has three scaly and circular patches about 3 cm in diameter, as well as alopecia and black dots in the areas of hair loss. He also has diffuse and shotty cervical lymphadenopathy. Introduction Clinical definition login to view 1 more bullet Epidemiology Incidence login to view 1 more bullet Demographics login to view 2 more bullets Location login to view 1 more bullet Etiology Infectious agents are fungi called dermatophytes, including login to view 2 more bullets Acquired through direct contact with the fungus login to view 2 more bullets Presentation Symptoms login to view 1 more bullet Physical exam login to view 8 more bullets Studies Labs login to view 7 more bullets Culture login to view 1 more bullet Diagnostic criteria login to view 1 more bullet Differential Alopecia areata login to view 2 more bullets Seborrheic dermatitis login to view 1 more bullet Psoriasis login to view 1 more bullet Treatment Conservative login to view 6 more bullets Medical login to view 9 more bullets Complications May progress to kerion or favus Prognosis Excellent since most cases resolve with treatment