Safety of oral itraconazole in the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis

Background Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) is a chronic, papulosquamous dermatosis and Malassezia yeasts are considered as causative factors. The dual antifungal and anti-inflammatory effects of oral itraconazole account for its prolonged therapeutic action in SD. Objectives: To assess the safety of oral itraconazole in the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis. Patients and methods During a period of total 2 years from January, 2008 to December, 2009, 37 patients of SD were treated with oral itraconazole (200 mg/day for 7 days) in first month and consecutive use of 200 mg/day for the first 2 days of the following 11 months. Patients were followed up monthly for clinical side effects and biochemical derangements. Results 16 (43.2%) patients suffered from different side effects of drug i.e. nausea in 16 (76.2%) patients, followed by abdominal pain in 3 (14.3%) and diarrhea in 2 (9.5%). These were selflimiting and did not warrant discontinuation of therapy. Biochemical abnormalities were not seen in any patient. Conclusion The study suggests that oral itraconazole is a safe treatment option of seborrheic dermatitis