title: The efficacy and safety of terbinafine in children.
abstract: In summary, terbinafine is a broad-spectrum allylamine, which has been used to treat superficial fungal infections including onychomycosis, and some systemic mycoses in adults. With a fungicidal activity, low minimum inhibitory concentration value, and high selectivity for fungal squalene epoxidase, terbinafine has demonstrated good efficacy in superficial fungal infections. Its lipophilic nature provides excellent, widespread absorption into hair, skin, and nails where it can eradicate fungal infection. Terbinafine has been shown to be effective and safe in several studies of the treatment of tinea capitis and onychomycosis in children. When treating Trichophyton tinea capitis the length of therapy may be 2 or 4 weeks. Microsporum tinea capitis may require somewhat higher or longer doses of terbinafine for adequate efficacy. These regimens still tend to be shorter than treatment with griseofulvin, and terbinafine may provide a higher compliance and a more cost-effective means of managing tinea capitis. It is possible that even higher cure rates and a shorter duration of therapy may be achieved following further optimization of treatment regimens that use a higher daily dosage of terbinafine than is currently recommended. The evidence is strongly in favor of using terbinafine to treat superficial fungal infections in children.
authors.affiliation: Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Science Center (Sunnybrook Site), University of Toronto, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4N 3M5, Canada. agupta@execulink.com
authors.forename: Aditya K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Charles W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Lynde
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006118:Griseofulvin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014009:Onychomycosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D000077291:Terbinafine; D014006:Tinea Capitis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D009281:Naphthalenes; D006118:Griseofulvin; D000077291:Terbinafine