Artemisia sieberi lotion 5% compared with Clotrimazole lotion in the treatment of Tinea versicolor

Abstract

To determine the effect of Artemisia sieberi lotion in signs & symptoms of Tinea versicolor, a randomized, double - blind clinical trial was performed comparing topical application of Artemisia sieberi lotion with Clotrimazole topical lotion, twice daily for 2 week. 60 patients suffering from Tinea versicolor completed the study. 29 patients were treated with Artemisia sieberi lotion and 31 pateints with Clotrimazole topical lotion. In our study, the most common site of infection were back (23.3%) & chest (21.6%). The clinical symptoms improved significantly at 2nd week (77.42%) and 2 week later (93.5%) in Artemisia sieberi group compared with Clotrimazole lotion (60.7% and 57.14%, respectively) In microscopic study, negative direct smear observed in Artemisia sieberi group was 87.1% in 2nd week and 100% in 4th week (P=0.001) (69% vs 61.5% in Clotrimazole group, P=0.001). Treatment-related adverse evonts were not reported in 2 groups. A twice-daily application of Artemisia sieberi lotion was effective in the treatment of Tinea versicolor.