A clinical and mycological study of diaper dermatitis

Kim, Jeong Aee; Kim, Seon Hoon; Chung, Hae Lim; Kim, Hee Ju; Lee, Gang Young

Abstract

Diaper dermatitis is an infant dermatosis associated with the wearing of diapers, Despite of its high frequency in clinical pediatrics the clinical characteristics are not well described in the korean literatvre. We investigated the clinical and mycological characteritics of diaper dermatitis in 50 serial patients. Clinically diaper dermatitis was classified. into five categories,irritant contact derniatitis(ID), candidiasis(CD). combined rash of ID and CD(CR.), intertrigo, and miliari. Of 50 patients with diaper dermatitis, 18 had ID; 16, CI3; 10, CR; 5, intertrigo, and 1, miliaria, The mean age of patients with ID (11.8 months) was higher than that of patients with CD (4.0 months). Candida albicans(C. albicans) w is isolated from 25 patients with diaper dermatitis. The rate of positive cultures by clinical diagnosis was 130% in CD, 11.1% in ID, 60, 0% in CR, and 20.0% in intertrigo. C. albicons was isolated from 23 patients(82.1%) of patients with clinically suspected Ci") and 2 of 22 patients without the characteristic erythematous papulesThe presence of eryhematous papules was the most characteristic clinical feature of infection, Other candida species isolated from cut,aneous lesions were C. tropicalsis, C.'. parapsiolosis, and C. stellatoidea.