Circumscribed alopecia: an unusual manifestation of pediculosis capitis.
A healthy 10-year-old girl was referred for evaluation of patchy hair loss on the scalp of longer than 6 months duration. She had been diagnosed and treated for head lice approximately 1 month before onset of the hair loss. Examination of the scalp showed discrete ovoid patches of hair loss at the vertex scalp. A scrape of the area of hair loss was performed, and a nit was visible on microscopic examination. Focal hair loss may represent an atypical manifestation of ongoing pediculosis capitis.
Department of Dermatology, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, North Carolina 27104, USA. rhall@wfubmc.edu
Rebecca R
RR
Hall
Amy J
AJ
McMichael
D000505:Alopecia / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D010373:Lice Infestations / Q000473:pathology*; D012535:Scalp / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D012536:Scalp Dermatoses / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*