Table 2.
Studies and case reports on the use of itraconazole in dermatologic diseases
| Disease | Dose regimen | Type of study and number of patients | Response to treatment | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced basal cell carcinoma |
ITZ Three groups: (a) 400 mg/day for 1 month (b) 200 mg/day for 1–4 months (c) Control |
Cohort study, phase II trial, n = 29 (n: a = 15, b = 4, c = 10) | 45% decrease in cell proliferation; 24% decrease in tumor area | Kim et al. [8] |
| Infantile hemangioma | ITZ 5 mg/kg/day for 2–9 weeks | Case series, n = 6 | All showed at least partial response in the first month; significant improvement after 3 months observation | Ran et al. [11] |
| Keloid and hypertrophic scar | ITZ for 2–4 weeks | Case series, n = 3 | Improved dramatically | Okada and Maruyama [12] |
| Palmoplantar pustulosis | Two weeks of ITZ 100 mg/day, then maintenance dose of 50 mg/day, 100 mg every other day, or 100 mg/50 mg alternatively | One anecdotal report (n = 7) and another single, active-arm study (n = 6) | Complete resolution of pustules | Mihara et al. [14] V’lckova-Laskoska et al. [15] |
| HIV-associated eosinophilic folliculitis | ITZ 200–400 mg/day for 2 weeks | Single-arm, open trial, n = 28 | 61% of cases showed complete clearance and 14% of cases showed partial response | Berger et al. [16] |
| Lichen planus, eruptive extensive type | Pulsed oral ITZ 200 mg, bid, 1 week in each month for a total of 3 months | Prospective, open-labelled study, n = 16 | 77% of cases ceased to develop; 55% of patients had no itch; 33% of cases showed complete flattening | Khandpur et al. [18] |
| Sarcoidosis | ITZ, fluconazole, or KTZ 200 mg/day + corticosteroids for 3–6 months | Single-arm, n = 18 (ITZ = 9, KTZ = 1, fluconazole = 8) | Significant reduction in number of lung lesions | Tercelj et al. [19] |
| Mycosis fungoides | ITZ 200 mg/day for 7 days | Case report, n = 1 | Completely subsided | Cooper et al. [20] |
| Yellow nail syndrome | ITZ 400 mg/day, 1 week in each month for a total of 7 cycles, + vitamin E | Case report, n = 1 | Marked ungual regrowth | Luyten et al. [25] |
| ITZ 400 mg/day, 1 week in each month for a total of 6–12 months | Case series, n = 8 | Two cases cured; 2 cases improved a little; 4 cases showed no response | Tosti et al. [27] | |
| Head and neck dermatitis (HND) or refractory atopic dermatitis |
(1) ITZ 200 mg/d initially, then six patients were shifted to fluconazole 200 mg/day or KTZ 200 mg/day due to the insurance, total 2 months (2) Maintenance phase: azole 200 mg, biw; for a total of 8 months |
Retrospective descriptive study, n = 24 | 17 cases (71%) responded | Kaffenberger et al. [28] |
|
Three groups: (a) ITZ 200 mg/day (b) ITZ 400 mg/day (c) Placebo all for 7 days |
RCT, double-blind, n = 53 (n: a = 18, b = 17, c = 18) | SCORAD improved prominently | Svejgaard et al. [29] | |
|
Two groups: (a) ITZ 100 mg/day + lactobacillus preparation for 8 weeks (b) Lactobacillus preparation alone for 8 weeks; then shift to the opposite regimen for another 8 weeks |
RCT, cross-over study, n = 34 | Both groups decreased use of topical steroids, eosinophils, and serum immunoglobulin E levels | Ikezawa et al. [30] | |
| Reducing irritation of calcipotriol on scalp psoriasis | ITZ 100 mg/day for 8 weeks | RCT, double-blind, n = 137 | Local irritation: 19% (ITZ) vs. 47% (placebo), p < 0.001 | Faergemann et al. [32] |
bid Twice per day, biw twice weekly, KTZ ketoconazole, RCT Randomized controlled trial, SCORAD Scoring atopic dermatitis