A STUDY TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF ORAL TERBINAFINE AND A COMBINATION OF ORAL TERBINAFINE AND TOPICAL SERTACONAZOLE IN TINEA CORPORIS PATIENTS ATTENDING DERMATOLOGY OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, HYDERABAD

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of Oral Terbinafine (250 mg) and a combination of oral terbinafine (250 mg) and topical sertaconazole (2%) in patients with Tinea corporis attending Dermatology Out Patient Department (OPD), in a tertiary care centre. Methods: An open-labeled comparative study was conducted in Dermatology OPD at Osmania General Hospital for 12 mo. Patients diagnosed with tinea corporis were randomly assigned into two groups: Group A: 50 Patients received Oral Terbinafine (250 mg) and Group B: 50 Patients received combination of Oral Terbinafine (250 mg) and Topical Sertaconazole (2%) for 2 w. The patients were advised to come after 1st and 2nd w for follow-up visits. Results: The study involved 100 patients with tinea corporis, with a mean age of 32.42±8.48 years in Group A and 33.38±7.76 years in Group B. Most participants were males (Group A – 62%, Group B – 80%). Clinical features (itching, burning, scaling, crusting, vesicles, pustules) showed a significant reduction in Group B compared to Group A after 2 w of treatment, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.000001). Lesion size decreased more in Group B (from 26.1±14.9 to 2.0±1.2) than in Group A (from 24.5±14.4 to 6.01±4.2), with a significant difference (P<0.0000001). All specimens in Group B were free of fungal growth. Conclusion: Clinical cure and mycological cure were better with a Combination of Oral Terbinafine (250 mg) and Topical Sertaconazole (2%) than with Oral Terbinafine (250 mg) alone. Both drugs were well tolerated and no major adverse drug reactions were noted during the study period.