Onychomycosis. Going for cure.
OBJECTIVE
To review onychomycosis with an emphasis on the traditional and newer antifungal agents available to treat onychomycosis.


METHODS
We searched MEDLINE for the years 1966 to 1995. We excluded case reports from our analysis.


RESULTS
For treating onychomycosis, newer antifungal agents (such as terbinafine, itraconazole, and fluconazole) are more cost-effective than the traditional agents griseofulvin and ketoconazole. Of the newer agents, only terbinafine is currently approved in Canada for treating onychomycosis.


CONCLUSIONS
The new generation of drugs is an important addition to the armamentarium of therapies available for treating onychomycosis. At the moment, in Canada, terbinafine is the drug of choice and more cost-effective than griseofulvin for treating dermatophyte-induced onychomycosis.
Gupta
A K
AK
Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre.
Shear
N H
NH
D000465:Algorithms; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003663:Decision Trees; D006801:Humans; D014009:Onychomycosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000935:Antifungal Agents