Ringworm

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Dermatitis, reaction to tinea

Ringworm, tinea corporis on an infant's leg

Ringworm, tinea capitis - close-up

Ringworm, tinea on the hand and leg

Ringworm, tinea manuum on the finger

Ringworm, tinea corporis on the leg

Ringworm

Alternative Names:

Dermatophytid; Tinea
Symptoms:

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The symptoms of ringworm include:

Itchy, red, raised, scaly patches that may blister and ooze. The patches often have sharply-defined edges. They are often redder around the outside with normal skin tone in the center. This may create the appearance of a ring. Your skin may also appear unusually dark or light.
When your scalp or beard is infected, you will have bald patches.
If nails are infected, they become discolored, thick, and even crumble.

Signs and tests:

Your doctor will diagnose ringworm primarily based on the appearance of the skin. If tests are needed, the fungus may appear florescent when your skin is examined with a blue light (called a Wood's lamp) in a dark room. A more definitive diagnosis can be made by scraping the affected area of skin and examining the cells under a microscope.

References:

Weinstein A. Topical treatment of common superficial tinea infections. Am Fam Physician. 2002; 65(10): 2095-2102.

Gupta AK. Treatments of tinea pedis. Dermatol Clin. 2003; 21(3): 431-462.

Pratte M. Common skin conditions in athletes. Clin Fam Pract. 2003; 5(3): 653.