What is responsible for this unilateral foot rash?

David L. Kaplan, MD—Series Editor

An 84-year-old woman noted this rash of 5 months’ duration on only her left foot. She had been treating the rash with tolnaftate for more than a month without improvement. Her health was otherwise good.

Tinea pedis

What is responsible for this unilateral foot rash?

  1. Tinea pedis
  2. Leukocytoclastic vasculitis
  3. Contact dermatitis
  4. Psoriasis
  5. Stasis dermatitis

 

Answer on next page.

Tinea pedis

Answer: Tinea pedis

A potassium hydroxide (KOH) wet-mount examination of skin scrapings revealed a dermatophyte infection, confirming the clinical suspicion of tinea pedis. Involvement of the toes can be seen in the photograph, and upon close inspection, scale is visible around the erythematous spots.

Leukocytoclastic vasculitis would be unusual but is possible on the dorsum of the foot, although scale is not a feature of the condition. Contact dermatitis is a possibility in that location, necessitating the KOH examination. Psoriasis on the dorsum of one foot in an 84-year-old person would be unusual and would be ruled out by the KOH examination results. Stasis dermatitis would be expected to occur in the setting of swelling, which is absent in this case.

David L. Kaplan, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine in Kansas City, Missouri, and at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City, Kansas. He practices adult and pediatric dermatology in Overland Park, Kansas.