Abstract
A physician-led clinical study was conducted to investigate the utility of tinea antigen detection kit, available for diagnosis of tinea unguium. We compared the results of microscopic inspection and those of investigated test kit. Both were performed on each of 126 enrolled patients who were either suspected of tinea unguium or who were recommended for differential diagnosis from tinea unguium. The concordance rate of the two tests, the primary endpoint, was 88.9%, showing sufficient clinical utility of the test kit. Participating dermatologists evaluated positively the convenience of the investigated kit and many regarded the test kit of being feasible and useful in actual clinical settings. As the use of topical antifungal agents have become more generally prevalent, greater accuracy in the diagnosis of nail tinea is called for. The investigated test kit seems to be able to be a supplement to microscopic inspection to improve the accuracy of the diagnosis, reducing patient burden, and yielding potential health economic benefits.
