What to do if your child has a sore on his head

Nowadays, many families choose to have only one child, so the child naturally becomes the apple of their eye. As children grow up, any abnormalities in their bodies will be noticed by their parents in a timely manner. The occurrence of sores on their children's heads makes many parents frightened. In fact, this is most likely caused by tinea capitis. Understanding this disease will help to diagnose and treat the child's condition. So, what should you do if your child has sores on his head?

Tinea capitis is caused by fungal infection, and fungi are widely present in our nature. More than 100,000 species have been recorded, but only a few cause disease in humans. The mushrooms we eat and the yeast used to ferment steamed buns are all fungi. What we often call "athlete's foot" and "Hong Kong foot" are a kind of fungal disease. Tinea capitis is the most common superficial fungal infection in children, which can be divided into white ringworm, black ringworm, yellow ringworm and kerion. Incidence: White ringworm is the most common, followed by kerion, and there is an increasing trend. Impetigo often occurs on the basis of white ringworm or black ringworm. It is a severe hypersensitivity reaction caused by fungal infection. The damage will eventually lead to permanent hair loss or scars. It is easy to misdiagnose or miss clinically. Microsporum canis is the primary pathogen, followed by Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum gypseum.

Tinea capitis is generally manifested by itchy or no itching on the scalp, hair loss or hair breakage at the roots, and scaling or scabbing of the scalp underneath. The initial symptoms of keratosis pilaris are usually erythema or red spots on the scalp, followed by scattered small papules with fine desquamation, and then quickly progress to carbuncle-like inflammatory plaques or abscesses, granulomas. The plaques are often covered with purulent scabs, and sieve-like pus heads, broken hair, and hair loss can be seen on the abscesses; there is erosion and exudation.

The consequences of clinical misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis are not only delaying the disease, leading to worsening of the disease and serious damage to hair follicles, which may lead to permanent hair loss, but also the long-term use of topical antibiotics or hormone ointments may cause common tinea capitis to develop into kerion. There was even a case where the patient was treated for a subcutaneous abscess, which was then surgically incised, drained, and skin grafted. However, the wound did not heal and the skin graft failed. Further incision caused the wound to further expand. The patient finally came to my clinic for treatment, and a fungal test was positive, resulting in a diagnosis of kerion. The patient recovered after three months of antifungal treatment, but was left with a scar and permanent baldness at the incision site.

Therefore, doctors and parents should pay attention to this and not assume that it is just a bacterial infection. In fact, a fungal examination can usually find the fungal pathogens and make a clear diagnosis. Of course, it should be noted that the treatment time for tinea capitis is relatively long, generally more than one month, and kerion may even require more than three months.

Finally, the following points are summarized:

1. Pay attention to hygiene. If there are children at home, avoid keeping pets or release them.

2. If you have sores on your head, in addition to common bacteria or inflammatory reactions, you should be alert to the possibility of fungal infection.

3. Do not buy drugs (especially antibiotics and hormones) on your own, otherwise the condition may worsen or transform.

4. Tinea capitis or kerion should be treated in a regular hospital. Be vigilant and aware to reduce misdiagnosis and avoid intractable scars and baldness.