Evaluation of the effectiveness of topical use of sertaconazole in dermatophytosis

Objective — to evaluate the effectiveness of a cream containing sertaconazole nitrate 2 % (Onabet 2 % cream) in patients with various forms of dermatophytosis. Materials and methods. 32 patients aged 21—50 were under outpatient observation. The duration of dermatophytosis varied from several weeks to 3 months. Tinea corporis was diagnosed in 25.0 % of patients, foot mycosis in 43.8 %, and axillary mycosis in 31.2 %. The diagnosis was based on the clinical manifestations of the disease and the results of microscopic examination with potassium hydroxide (PH). The clinical picture was evaluated based on the presence of subjective and objective signs (itching, erythema, scaling, vesicles/maceration, pustules) and their intensity according to the scale: 0 points — absence, 1 point — mild, 2 points — moderate, 3 points — severe. The area of skin damage was determined using the «rule of the palm» in patients. The final score of clinical manifestations was calculated by adding the individual scores of each symptom and the value of the area of the affected skin. Onabet 2 % cream was applied by patients twice a day to the affected area of the skin for 4 weeks. Results and discussion. As a result of topical treatment, positive dynamics regarding the clinical manifestations of dermatophytosis were noted in all patients. The regression of inflammatory symptoms (itching, erythema, wetting in 65.5, 40.6 and 71.4 % of patients, respectively) by the end of the 1st week of treatment serves as evidence of anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and anti-pruritic effects. The terms of regression of clinical manifestations of dermatophytosis depended on the clinical form of the infection. Clinical remission by the end of the 1st week of therapy in 34.4 % of patients, clinical remission and mycological negativity by the end of the 2nd week in 81.3 % of patients testify to the rapid effect of the drug. At the end of the 6th week, clinical success was achieved in 93.7 %, mycological (pathogen eradication) in 100.0 % of patients. Remote observation results within 3 months showed no disease recurrence in all patients. Side effects during treatment were not registered. Conclusions. Onabet cream 2 % is a modern topical antimycotic with a wide spectrum of action; its use twice a day for 1 month allows for achieving clinical cure in 93.7 %, etiological cure in 100 % of patients with dermatophytes (tinea corporis, tinea pedis, and tinea cruris). The high effectiveness and safety of Onabet cream in treating dermatophytosis allow us to recommend this topical agent for treating patients with dermatophytosis.