Comparative evaluation of single dose regimen With two dose regimen of fluconazole in the treatment of tinea versicolor : A double blind placebo controlled study

Abstract

In a double blind randomised study to assess the efficacy of single dose fluconazole therapy, 30 patients of tinea versicolor (TV) were enrolled and were assigned into 2 groups. Group A (n= 18) received fluconazole 400mg single dose orally and Group B (n= 12) received placebo. At the end of 2 weeks, 8 out of 18 (44.4%) of Group A patients and 1 out of 12 (8.3%) of Group B showed mycological cure (P=0.08 ). Ten patients of Group A who had KOH positivity after 2 weeks were given 2nd dose of 400 mg fluconazole 2 weeks after the 1st dose. Nine of these (90%) showed mycological cure at the end of subsequent 2 weeks . The difference between the efficacy of single dose fluconazole after 2 weeks and 2 doses of fluconazole after 4 weeks was statistically significant (P< 0.01). None of the patients had any significant side effects. Therefore single dose therapy of fluconazole 400 mg is not satisfactory in TV. Instead, 2 doses of flluconazole (400 mg) given at 2 weeks intervals is safe and very effective.