Gc. Creatsas et al., CHRONIC OR RECURRENT VAGINAL CANDIDOSIS - SHORT-TERM TREATMENT AND PROPHYLAXIS WITH ITRACONAZOLE, Clinical therapeutics, 15(4), 1993, pp. 662-671
Twenty-one women (mean age, 35.3 years) with 2 to 4 episodes of vagina
l candidosis in the last 6 months were included in the study to evalua
te the efficacy and safety of itraconazole as short-term, as well as p
rophylactic, treatment of chronic candidosis. After clinical evaluatio
n and laboratory confirmation of candidosis, 200 mg of itraconazole we
re given orally for 3 days. Twelve of the 21 patients were cured. The
remaining nine repeated treatment, after which all were cured. All pat
ients were entered in the maintenance phase, and received 200 mg of it
raconazole the first day of the menstrual cycle for 6 months. One pati
ent relapsed in the second month, but after taking 200 mg of itraconaz
ole BID for 1 day she remained cured for the rest of the study period.
All other patients remained cured for the 6 months of the maintenance
period. Three months after the end of prophylactic therapy, 17 of 20
patients (85%) were clinically and mycologically cured. No adverse exp
eriences were reported. It is concluded that itraconazole is an effici
ent and safe short-term treatment for chronic or recurrent vaginal can
didosis. Moreover, the dose of 200 mg once monthly for 6 months proved
to be a successful suppressive treatment.