SHORT TREATMENT SCHEDULES OF ITRACONAZOLE IN DERMATOPHYTOSIS

Patients were recruited from 1 December 1994 until 31 August 1995. Tho se presenting with tinea cruris/corporis received 200 mg of itraconazo le every day for 7 days, whereas patients presenting with tinea pedis/ manus were treated with 200 mg twice a day for 7 days. Those eligible were men and women at least 18 years of age, with a clinically diagnos ed dermatophytosis, confirmed by KOH examination and culture. Pregnant or nursing patients and those who did not use adequate birth control methods were excluded. Patients with a known history of chronic liver disease or other concomitant serious disease were also excluded. Patie nts who had received any oral antifungal or corticosteroid therapy wit hin 30 days before enrollment or any topical antifungal or corticoster oid treatment within a week before enrollment were not eligible. Clini cal and mycologic (KOH and culture) evaluation was carried out at base line, at completion of therapy (day 7) and at the end of follow-up (da y 28 for tinea cruris/corporis and day 35 for tinea pedis/manus). The investigator evaluated the following clinical symptoms at each visit: desquamation, erythema, infiltration, pruritus, exudation, maceration, vesiculation, and pustules. Clinical results were rated as: healed, m arkedly improved, considerable residual lesions, not changed, or worse . The categories healed and markedly improved were considered as respo nders. All mycology was performed centrally at the Department of Micro biology, University of Malaya.