Tags

Type your tag names separated by a space and hit enter

New treatments for tinea capitis.
Curr Opin Infect Dis 2004; 17(2):97-103CO

Abstract

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Tinea capitis, a dermatophyte infection involving the hair shaft on the scalp, is primarily a disease of preadolescent children. The predominant pathogen varies according to the geographical location. Trichophyton tonsurans and Microsporum canis account for the majority of infections in north America and certain parts of Europe. The current standard of care for the treatment of tinea capitis in the USA is oral griseofulvin, but evidence is accumulating that some of the newer antifungal agents may also be useful.

RECENT FINDINGS

The newer oral antifungal agents such as terbinafine, itraconazole and fluconazole seem to be effective, safe, and have the advantage of a shorter treatment duration. Although a significant number of clinical studies and reports have documented experience with terbinafine and itraconazole for the treatment of tinea capitis, it should be noted that only a few trials have been conducted utilizing fluconazole. Both 2% ketoconazole and 1% selenium sulfide shampoos are often recommended as adjuvant topical therapy.

SUMMARY

Currently, many experts consider griseofulvin to be the drug of choice for tinea capitis. Short-term terbinafine, itraconazole and fluconazole therapy have been shown to be comparable in efficacy and safety with griseofulvin. Regular epidemiological surveillance of causative fungal organisms in the community and their antifungal susceptibility is an essential component in the management of this condition.

Links

  • Publisher Full Text
    • Aggregator Full Text

    Authors+Show Affiliations

    Chan YC
    National Skin Centre, 1 Mandalay Road, Singapore 308205.
    Friedlander SF
    No affiliation info available

    MeSH

    Administration, OralAntifungal AgentsFluconazoleGriseofulvinHumansItraconazoleMicrosporumNaphthalenesTerbinafineTinea CapitisTrichophyton

    Pub Type(s)

    Journal Article
    Review

    Language

    eng

    PubMed ID

    15021047

    Citation

    Chan, Yuin-Chew, and Sheila Fallon Friedlander. "New Treatments for Tinea Capitis." Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases, vol. 17, no. 2, 2004, pp. 97-103.
    Chan YC, Friedlander SF. New treatments for tinea capitis. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2004;17(2):97-103.
    Chan, Y. C., & Friedlander, S. F. (2004). New treatments for tinea capitis. Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases, 17(2), pp. 97-103.
    Chan YC, Friedlander SF. New Treatments for Tinea Capitis. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2004;17(2):97-103. PubMed PMID: 15021047.
    * Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
    TY - JOUR T1 - New treatments for tinea capitis. AU - Chan,Yuin-Chew, AU - Friedlander,Sheila Fallon, PY - 2004/3/17/pubmed PY - 2004/5/28/medline PY - 2004/3/17/entrez SP - 97 EP - 103 JF - Current opinion in infectious diseases JO - Curr. Opin. Infect. Dis. VL - 17 IS - 2 N2 - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Tinea capitis, a dermatophyte infection involving the hair shaft on the scalp, is primarily a disease of preadolescent children. The predominant pathogen varies according to the geographical location. Trichophyton tonsurans and Microsporum canis account for the majority of infections in north America and certain parts of Europe. The current standard of care for the treatment of tinea capitis in the USA is oral griseofulvin, but evidence is accumulating that some of the newer antifungal agents may also be useful. RECENT FINDINGS: The newer oral antifungal agents such as terbinafine, itraconazole and fluconazole seem to be effective, safe, and have the advantage of a shorter treatment duration. Although a significant number of clinical studies and reports have documented experience with terbinafine and itraconazole for the treatment of tinea capitis, it should be noted that only a few trials have been conducted utilizing fluconazole. Both 2% ketoconazole and 1% selenium sulfide shampoos are often recommended as adjuvant topical therapy. SUMMARY: Currently, many experts consider griseofulvin to be the drug of choice for tinea capitis. Short-term terbinafine, itraconazole and fluconazole therapy have been shown to be comparable in efficacy and safety with griseofulvin. Regular epidemiological surveillance of causative fungal organisms in the community and their antifungal susceptibility is an essential component in the management of this condition. SN - 0951-7375 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/15021047/New_treatments_for_tinea_capitis_ L2 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00001432-200404000-00005 DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -