Efficacy of Oral Fluconazole at A 400 Mg Weekly Dose for the Treatment of Fingernail Onychomycosis

Abstract

Background: Onychomycosis is a relatively common skin problem, accounting for more than half of nail diseases. The treatment of onychomycosis with weekly dose of Fluconazole  has shown concussive results in terms of cure rates and the reduction of both side effects and drug interactions and therefore better patient compliance, as well as lower material cost The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy, tolerability and safety of oral fluconazole in weekly dosing schedules (400mg)  in the treatment of fingernail onychomycosis.

Methods:  Thirty femeles patients of potassium hydroxide (KOH) and culture positive fingernail onychomycosis were randomly allocated to two treatment groups receiving either fluconazole 400 mg weekly dose for 12 weeks or itraconazole 200 mg daily dose for 6 weeks. Patients were followed up at 4, 6and 12 weeks during treatment and post-treatment at 24 weeks. In each patient, improvement in a target nail was assessed using a clinical score which is Onychomycosis Severity Index. Mycological, clinical cure rates, clinical effectivity and treatment failure rates were then compared.

Results: The declines in total scores from baseline were significant at each follow-up visit in both the treatment groups. However, the inter-group difference was statistically insignificant.

Conclusion: Fluconazole at a 400 mg weekly dose is effective for the treatment of fingernail onychomycosis