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Oral terbinafine in tinea capitis in children

E Gruseck1, V Splanemann, O Bleck

  • 1Department of Dermatology, University Clinics Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.

Mycoses
|May 1, 1996
PubMed

Insights

Terbinafine effectively treats tinea capitis in children, achieving complete remission with good tolerability. This antifungal medication offers a promising alternative to griseofulvin, though further studies are needed.

Area of Science:

  • Dermatology
  • Mycology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Tinea capitis is a common pediatric fungal infection requiring systemic treatment.
  • Griseofulvin is the standard treatment but necessitates prolonged therapy (months).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of terbinafine for treating tinea capitis in children.
  • To compare in vitro activity of terbinafine and griseofulvin against dermatophytes.

Main Methods:

  • Four pediatric patients (3-9 years) with culture-proven tinea capitis received terbinafine (125 mg/day) for 4-10 weeks.
  • Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing was performed for terbinafine and griseofulvin against patient isolates.

Main Results:

  • All four patients achieved complete clinical remission with terbinafine.
  • Follow-up cultures were negative, indicating successful eradication.
  • Terbinafine was well-tolerated in all cases.
  • In vitro testing confirmed terbinafine's potent activity against dermatophytes.

Conclusions:

  • Terbinafine demonstrates high efficacy and good tolerability for pediatric tinea capitis treatment.
  • Further controlled trials are essential to establish optimal dosing, duration, and safety profiles for terbinafine.

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