Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin 2007;45:89-92; doi:10.1136/dtb.2007.11.0004
Copyright © 2007 by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

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Managing scalp ringworm in children

Relevant BNFC section: 5.2

Scalp ringworm (tinea capitis) is a significant public health problem in the UK.^1,2 An infection with dermatophyte fungi, it affects scalp hair follicles and surrounding scalp skin and often causes alopecia, which can be permanent. The condition is commonest in pre-adolescent children,³ although it also occurs in adolescents and adults.⁴ In 1995, the reported infection rate in schools in southeast London was about 2.5%,² and there has been an increase in cases over the past few years.¹ We last reviewed the management of scalp ringworm in 1996, concluding that "an 8–10 week course of oral griseofulvin (10mg/kg body weight) will normally clear the infection..."⁵ Since then, more data have been published on newer antifungal drugs. Here we update our advice on the treatment of children with scalp ringworm.