COMPARATIVE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF SYSTEMIC TERBINAFINE AND ITRACONAZOLE IN RECALCITRANT TINEA CRURIS
Background: The prevalence of recalcitrant tinea is increasing despite available treatment options. Itraconazole and terbinane are the most commonly prescribed agents for tinea. The relative efcacy of both the drugs is under focus and no standard guidelines exist for the recalcitrant tinea. Objective:To compare their relative efcacy and safety of itraconazole and terbinane in recalcitrant tinea cruris patients. Methods: A prospective, randomized, open label study recruited 100 recalcitrant tinea cruris patients of 18-65 years age at dermatology OPD at GNDH hospital, Amritsar, India after obtaining Institutional Ethics Committee approval. Patients who consented for study and follow up were included. Impaired hepatic/ renal function, secondary bacterial infections or deep mycoses patients were excluded. After randomization, group Acomprised of 50 patients who were put on capsule itraconazole 100 mg BD and group B of 50 patients on tablet terbinane 250 mg OD for eight weeks. The treatment response was assessed as Complete cure, Treatment failure based on clinical (PGAScore) and mycological (KOH Smear) prole. Results: Itraconazole resulted in complete cure in 28 patients whereas terbinane cured 14 patients completely (p <0.05). Treatment failure were observed as 1 and 8 (itraconazole and terbinane respectively, p < 0.05). Both drugs had comparable safety prole with no serious adverse effects. Limitations of the study were short duration, small sample size and non-blinding. Conclusion:Itraconazole seems relatively more efcacious than terbinane in the treatment recalcitrant tinea cruris cases