Tinea Corporis in a Mechanic Living in a Densely Populated Urban Settlement: A Family Medicine Case Report

Abstract

Tinea corporis is a superficial dermatophyte infection that is facilitated by warm and humid conditions, sweating, close contact, and inadequate environmental hygiene. Densely populated urban settlements may increase exposure through limited ventilation, shared facilities, and difficulty maintaining dry skin and clean clothing. A 29-year-old male mechanic living with his wife and two children in a densely populated neighborhood of Makassar, Indonesia, reported pruritus affecting the back and right arm for one week. Symptoms worsened with sweating, and an over-the-counter antipruritic medication had not produced meaningful improvement. He had no reported fever, other systemic symptoms, diabetes mellitus, or immunosuppressive disease. Vital signs were stable apart from mild tachycardia, and nutritional status was normal. The submitted clinical report diagnosed localized tinea corporis on clinical grounds; potassium hydroxide microscopy, fungal culture, standardized lesion measurements, and photographs were not documented. Topical terbinafine was prescribed for two weeks, accompanied by counseling on personal bathing equipment, clean clothing, changing clothes after sweating, and early reassessment if lesions spread or symptoms worsened. A family assessment identified limited health knowledge and suboptimal use of primary care despite available health insurance. This case illustrates that treatment of localized tinea corporis in crowded communities should combine appropriate topical antifungal therapy with household-level hygiene, exposure reduction, and follow-up to confirm clinical response.