A Placebo-Controlled Trial of Maintenance Therapy with Fluconazole after Treatment of Cryptococcal Meningitis in the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

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Abstract
In patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the rate of relapse after primary treatment for cryptococcal meningitis remains high. We conducted a controlled, doubleblind trial to evaluate the efficacy of maintenance therapy with fluconazole. At entry into the study, all participants had sterile cultures of cerebrospinal fluid, blood, and urine after following a standardized course of therapy for culture-proved cryptococcal meningitis. The patients were randomly assigned to take either fluconazole or placebo as maintenance therapy. The dose of fluconazole was 100 mg daily in the first phase of the study and 200 mg daily in the second phase.