Intertrigo
Posted by recep on April 20th, 2009A dermatitis, usually caused by maceration and exposure to irritants, occurring between two folds of skin—eg, between the buttocks, the thighs, or the scrotum and the thigh. Intertrigo often appears as moist, red, and sometimes scaly and pruritic areas in the flexures. Intense itching or soreness may develop from the groin to the perineum, in the inner thighs, and in the intergluteal cleft. Contributing factors include obesity, poor personal hygiene, and clothing made of synthetic fabrics that do not breathe.
Intertrigo may mimic or coexist with a candidal superinfection. Candida often produces so-called satellite lesions—small vesicles at the periphery of the lesion. Examination of a scraping prepared with KOH solution may reveal the characteristic budding yeasts and pseudohyphae.
Treatment: Affected areas should be kept as dry as possible. Topical antifungal creams (eg, clotrimazole 1% or miconazole 2%) should be applied tid if Candida is suspected. Nystatin cream, another anti-candidal agent, is not effective against dermatophytes and therefore should be used only when there is no suspicion of tinea infection. If inflammation is severe, a low-potency, topical corticosteroid cream (eg, hydrocortisone 1%) can be applied tid. Some available commercial preparations combine an antifungal agent and a topical corticosteroid cream, such as clotrimazole and betamethasone diproprionate cream.
Tags: Intertrigo
