Children onychomycosis, a neglected dermatophytosis: A retrospective study of epidemiology and treatment

Background: Onychomycosis was an ignored disease in children, and the prevalence was still unknown worldwide.

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and treatment regimens of onychomycosis in children younger than 18 years old.

Methods: We systemically reviewed all publications by searching the key terms to reveal the onychomycosis in children from 1990 to 2022.

Results: A total of 44 articles including 2,382 children with onychomycosis were enrolled in this study. The male to female ratio was 1.29:1. The youngest child was 35 days old and the average age was 9.8 years old. The duration of disease usually ranged from 7 days to 4 years. Onychomycosis in children was more prevalent in toenails compared to fingernails (77.6% vs. 18.4%), and 4% patients had both. A total of 527 children (22.12%) had concomitant tinea pedis infection, and in 267 patients (11.21%), their family members had onychomycosis or tinea pedis. The most common clinical type of onychomycosis was DLSO (67.74%) and the predominant isolates were T. rubrum (66.13%), followed by C. albicans (9.08%) and T. mentagrophytes complex (5.34%). There were 419 children (74.03%) receiving systematic treatment only, 74 patients (13.07%) receiving topical treatment only, and 73 patients (12.90%) receiving both systematic and topical treatment. Twelve patients (2.12%) had mild drug-related side effects. During the follow-up, 71.25% children were cured, 17.50% symptoms improved and 4.17% failed.

Conclusions: Onychomycosis was underestimated in children and the diagnosis of onychomycosis should be properly considered in children with nail disorders. For mild patients, topical treatment can be a good choice, and oral antifungal drugs could be added to severe individuals under monitoring.