Efficacy and Safety in 1% Clotrimazole Powder, Adjuvant Therapy in Patients with Superficial Fungal Cutaneous Infection in Intertriginous Areas.

Background: Superficial fungal cutaneous infection is commonly found in intertriginous area. Objective: To assess 1% clotrimazole powder (1% CP) efficacy for adjuvant treatment of superficial fungal cutaneous infection in intertriginous areas. Material and Method: The study performed as an open-label, randomized, comparative study for evaluating the effects of 1% clotrimazole cream (1% CC) with 1% CP in patients infected with dermatophytes (DMPs) or Candida spp. in intertriginous area, comparing to patients treated with 1% CC as control by demonstrating complete cure rate at 4, 8, and 12 weeks as well as relapse rates during a 24-week period including patient satisfaction. Results: Sixty-seven patients with mean age of 54.6 years were included in this study. Of those, 61.2% were males. Thirty-five patients were infected with DMPs and 32 with Candida spp. The complete cure rates of experimental group were significantly higher than the control group, as observed within four weeks (p = 0.01), especially for dermatophyte infection (p = 0.039). Two cases had recurrent candidiasis in the control group. In both groups, relapse up to 24 weeks were not statistically different. Additionally, there was no difference in patients' satisfaction towards convenience of drug application. Conclusion: Using of the 1% CP could be suggested as an adjuvant therapy and possibly preventive agent for superficial fungal cutaneous infection in intertriginous areas.

Trend of contact allergy to cosmetic ingredients in Thais over a period of 10 years.

BACKGROUND: Contact allergy to cosmetic ingredients is common. However, there are no recent comprehensive studies on contact allergy to cosmetic ingredients in Asia. OBJECTIVES: To identify positive patch test reactions in patients tested at Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand to allergens present in cosmetics. METHODS: A retrospective review of medical records from the outpatient contact dermatitis clinic was conducted from January 1999 to December 2008. Patients with at least one positive patch test reaction to allergens associated with cosmetic ingredients were studied. The results were evaluated using Pearson's χ(2) -test with Yates' continuity correction or Fisher's exact test where appropriate,and a p-value <0.002 was considered to be statistically significant by Bonferroni correction. RESULTS: There were 1247 cases (239 males and 1008 females; mean age 38.5 years). Fragrance chemicals and preservatives were the most commonly recognized cosmetic allergens. Ammoniated mercury was the only allergen that showed a significantly increased frequency over the 10-year period (p = 0.0008). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that ammoniated mercury is an emerging cosmetic allergen, showing an increased prevalence in recent years in Thailand. A focus is required on emerging cosmetic allergens and what may account for the upward trend of cosmetic contact dermatitis.