Therapeutic options for the treatment of tinea capitis: Griseofulvin versus fluconazole

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Tinea capitis is a relatively common fungal infection of childhood. Griseofulvin has been the mainstay of treatment for many years. However, newer oral antifungal agents are being used more frequently. Our purpose was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of fluconazole in comparison with griseofulvin in the treatment of tinea capitis. We performed a single-blind, randomized, prospective evaluation of 40 patients with a clinical and mycologic diagnosis of tinea capitis. One group received fluconazole for 4 weeks. The other group received griseofulvin for 6 weeks. Five clinical parameters were evaluated. Mycologic examinations were performed at baseline and at the end of 8 weeks. Patients ranged in age from 1 to 16 years; 80% were boys and 20% were girls. Mycologic examinations disclosed Trichophyton verrucosum in 40% of patients, T. violaceum in 40% and Microsporum canis in 20%. At week 8, the griseofulvin-treated group showed a cure rate of 76%, and the fluconazole-treated group 78%. The cure rates were not statistically significant. Fluconazole constitutes an alternative but, because of greater availability and lower cost, griseofulvin remains the treatment of choice for tinea capitis.