| Title | Tinea capitis: diagnostic criteria and treatment options. | | Author(s) | Meadows-Oliver M | | Institution | Yale University School of Nursing, New Haven, CT, USA. | | Source | Dermatol Nurs 2009 Sep-Oct; 21(5):281-6. | | Abstract | Tinea capitis is a fungal infection involving the hair shaft of the scalp. It is commonly referred to as ringworm and occurs primarily in children. Treatment with a systemic anti-fingal rather than topical treatment is required. Currently, two medications, griseofulvin (Grifulvin) and terbinafine (Lamisil Granules), are FDA-approved to treat tinea capitis. Treatment with griseofulvin is usually 6 to 8 weeks, while treatment with terbinafine requires 6 weeks. There are other medications currently not FDA-approved to treat tinea capitis that have similar cure rates and shorter durations of treatment for tinea capitis, and as a result, are being used off-label. The research-based literature related to the treatment of tinea capitis with various pharmacologic agents is reviewed. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
| | PubMed ID | 19873694 |
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