Pityriasis versicolor in the paediatric age group: a descriptive observational study of 415 children

Pityriasis versicolor (PV) is a common chronic superficial fungal infection caused by the lipophilic yeast Malassezia, which is highly prevalent in young and middle-aged people, and its incidence in children, especially infants, has been poorly studied. The aim was to study the epidemiology, clinical features and mycological correlates of PV in children. A total of 415 patients under 14 years of age with a clinical diagnosis of PV who presented to the Department of Dermatology between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2024 were included. Skin scrapings from these patients were examined by fluorescence microscopy. Of the 415 patients with PV, 71.57% were male and 28.43% were female; the age group with the highest percentage of patients was the group aged less than 6 months (35.42%); the youngest patient affected was a 1-month, 15-day-old boy, and the oldest was a 14-year-old male. The duration of infection ranged from 1 to 6 months in 46.75% of the children, and 4.10% of the patients had infections lasting longer than 1 year. The face was the most frequently involved site (65.29%), and hypopigmented PV was the most common clinical presentation, observed in 96.87% of the patients. A fluorescence microscope revealed that Malassezia was most commonly observed in hyphal and spore forms (38.80%), followed by spore forms alone (31.80%). The retrospective nature of the study. PV is common in children, especially in infants less than 6 months old, and the face is a frequently involved site in children with PV.