A comparative study of mycological efficacy of terbinafine and fluconazole in patients of tinea corporis

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of terbinafine and fluconazole in terms of Mycological cure in the treatment of tinea corporis. Material and methods: Total 116 tinea corporis patients who were not responding to topical antifungal therapy of 2 weeks were selected and they were randomly divided into two groups. Group-I received oral terbinafine (250 mg) daily for 4 weeks. Group-II received oral fluconazole (150 mg) once weekly for 4 weeks. Evaluation is done by mycological assessment (KOH and Culture examination) at the end of treatment. Results: Mycological cure was noted in 36/42 (85.71%) patients in the group-I and in 37/50 (74%) patients in the group-II at the end of the treatment period. The difference between treatments at this point was not statistically significant ( P > 0.05). Conclusion: In view of the above findings, it is suggested that both fluconazole and terbinafine are quite effective in the treatment of tinea corporis patients in terms of Mycological cure. Terbinafine shows slightly better results than fluconazole ( P > 0.05). The lower cost and once weekly schedule of fluconazole may favor patient compliance with lesser number of drop-outs.