Itraconazole in pityriasis versicolor

Forty-two patients with pityriasis versicolor were treated with itraconazole. Patients were allocated randomly to one of two groups; the first group (22 patients) received 200 mg of itraconazole per day for five days, and the second group (20 patients) received 100 mg per day for the same period. The study lasted 30 days. Each patient's clinical history was recorded before treatment. Wood's light examination was also done at this time and was repeated weekly. Direct microscopic examination of lesions was undertaken at the beginning, middle, and end of the trial. Specimens for cultures could be obtained from only 24 patients. The cure rate was 95% in the first group and 75% in the second. The difference between these rates was not significant, but the groups were small and the difference in dosage may ultimately be meaningful in terms of rates of cure. Itraconazole appears to be effective in a high percentage of cases of pityriasis versicolor.