Onychomycosis in children. A review.

Onychomycosis is considered an age-related infection with increasing prevalence in the older age groups. It is rare in the pediatric population, except in children with Down syndrome and with immunodeficiencies, who are more likely to have fungal nail infections. The number of reports about onychomycosis in children is relatively small, and the epidemiologic data vary, but a rise in prevalence has been demonstrated. In this article, we review the most up-to-date literature and summarize the epidemiology, etiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of onychomycosis in children, as well as the differences with the disease presenting in adults. Dermatologists must consider onychomycosis in the differential diagnosis of nail alterations in children and always perform a mycological study to confirm the diagnosis.