Further studies on the treatment of African histoplasmosis with ketoconazole

Five patients with African histoplasmosis were treated with ketoconazole. Three of these were children with disseminated disease and 2 were adults with localized cutaneous disease. Both patients with cutaneous disease responded to treatment, although one was lost to follow-up. Of the 3 children with disseminated disease, one was apparently cured, one responded well but subsequently relapsed, and one failed to respond in spite of having blood levels of ketoconazole within the therapeutic range. Further studies are needed to determine the optimum dosage and duration of treatment with ketoconazole for this condition.