Publication:

Study of effect of oral itraconazole with 2% sertaconazole cream versus oral terbinafine with 2% sertaconazole cream in dermatophytosis

Background Dermatophytosis is a common dermatological problem. Recent studies have reported an increase in the prevalence of the disease. Management of dermatophytosis thus has become challenging for both dermatologists and patients due to their resistance to treatment and their refractory nature. Currently the management of dermatophytic infection includes both oral and topical antifungals. The study compared the clinical efficacy and adverse effect profile of systemic with topical drugs.

Methods Patients were randomly divided into two groups of 90 each. They were given oral Itraconazole 100 mg twice daily with Sertaconazole 2 % cream twice daily (Group A) and oral Terbinafine 250 mg once daily with Sertaconazole 2 % cream twice daily (Group B) till complete resolution of lesions or a maximum of six weeks. The response was assessed by the improvement in signs and symptoms of each of the clinical parameter, pruritus, erythema, scaling.

Results At week 6, mycological cure was seen in 92.9% in Group A as compared to 86.9% of patients in Group B. There was a significant improvement in percentage change in pruritus, erythema, and scaling in both the groups from 0 to 6 weeks (p-value: <0.0001). Mild adverse effects such as gastrointestinal upset, headache, and raised transaminases were observed which were comparable in both the groups.

Conclusions On comparison of the groups, we observed that both were effective but Itraconazole with Sertaconazole 2% cream was more efficacious in terms of both clinical (pruritus, scaling, and erythema) and mycological cure.