kerion treatment - Health Topics
The recommended first-line treatment for kerion is oral antifungal therapy with either griseofulvin or terbinafine, with the choice guided by the causative dermatophyte species. 1 A kerion is an abscess caused by a fungal infection. Symptoms include crusting, hair loss, swelling and inflammation.
Understanding the Context
Oral medications treat the fungal infection. A kerion is an abscess caused by fungal infection. It most often occurs on the scalp (tinea capitis), but it may also arise on any site exposed to the fungus such as face (tinea faciei) and upper limbs (tinea corporis). Kerion is a type of inflammatory response to a fungal infection, most commonly caused by dermatophytes such as Trichophyton and Microsporum.
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Key Insights
It typically manifests as a swollen, pus-filled lesion on the scalp, often accompanied by hair loss in the affected area. Kerion is a fungal infection of the scalp that causes hair loss and inflammatory, pus-filled sores. It is mostly found in children and is brought on by fungi called dermatophytes, which feed on keratin. Kerion formation is the inflammatory extreme of tinea capitis, producing a large painful crusted plaque in the scalp, often with purulent discharge and cervical lymphadenopathy. Kerions are the result of a massive delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction to the dermatophyte.
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Broken stubs of hair in the lesion give the appearance of black dots and are commonly seen in tinea capitis caused by Trichophyton tonsurans. Kerion is an inflammatory type of tinea capitis. Kerion is a condition that is caused by an inflammatory reaction to a fungal infection on the scalp (commonly known as scalp ringworm and also known as tinea capitis). A kerion appears as an inflamed, thickened, pus-filled area, and it may be accompanied by fever and swollen lymph nodes in the neck.