Oral terbinafine in tinea capitis in children

Abstract

Tinea capitis is a disease that frequently affects children. In most cases systemic antimycotic treatment is necessary Griseofulvin is still the drug of choice, but requires prolonged periods of treatment (several months). To estimate the efficiency and tolerability of terbinafine for treatment of tinea capitis in children, four patients (aged 3-9 years) with tinea capitis proven by culture were treated with terbinafine at a dose of 125 mg a day for different periods (4-10 weeks). Isolates were subjected to minimal inhibitory concentration testing against terbinafine and griseofulvin. In all four cases terbinafine treatment resulted in complete remission. The clinical response was accompanied by negative culture results on follow-up. Terbinafine was well tolerated in each case. Determination of the minimal inhibitory concentration confirmed the excellent in vitro activity of terbinafine against dermatophytes. Controlled studies involving a larger number of children are necessary to answer questions concerning dose and duration of terbinafine treatment as well as the frequency and severity of drug-related side-effects.

Tinea capitis Dermatophytes: Susceptibility to Antifungal Drugs Tested in vitro and in vivo

“…Our retrospective study confirms previous data on the efficacy of a 4-week terbinafine treatment of tinea capitis caused by T. violaceum and T. soudanense [10, 11, 12, 13, 14]. In a double-blind comparative study, Haroon et al [14]have shown that there was no significant difference in the clinical cure of tinea capitis caused by T. violaceum after administration of oral terbinafine for 1, 2 or 4 weeks.…”

“…Terbinafine is a fungicidal, lipophilic agent that is safe and has a minimal risk of drug interaction [9]. Studies conducted on children with tinea capitis mainly due to Trichophyton violaceum revealed a clinical cure rate of 80–100% [10, 11, 12, 13, 14]. …”

Oral Terbinafine in the Treatment of Griseofulvin-resistant Tinea capitis et faciei et corporis in a 10-month-old Girl

“…However, a number of patients do not respond and extended duration of therapy leads to problems in compliance and/or unwanted side e¡ects (1,2,6). Terbina¢n^the ¢rst orally active allylamine^has been available for a couple of years now.…”

Terbinafine Pulse Therapy Is Effective in Tinea Capitis

“…The duration of therapy using continuous terbinafine therapy for tinea capitis due to Trichophyton species has generally been 4 to 6 weeks, although more recent studies suggest that in some cases shorter durations such as 1 or 2 weeks may be sufficient (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14). With the pulse therapy schedule we have used the duration of active terbinafine therapy is 1 week (1 pulse), 2 weeks (2 pulses) or 3 weeks (3 pulses) given over an overall timeperiod of 1, 4, or 8 weeks, respectively (Fig.…”