Background: Tinea pedis places a significant burden on patients. The standard treatment is antifungals, e.g., terbinafine. However, the efficacy of the drug has been questioned in the last years with the appearance of resistance to the drug. The introduction of other drugs is essential.
The aim of the work: The aim was to assess and compare the efficacy and safety of topical terbinafine 1% cream versus aluminum chloride hexahydrate 15% in ethyl alcohol solution in treating interdigital tinea pedis.
Patients and Methods: Two groups of patients were included [each 37 patients]. All had been clinically diagnosed with interdigital tinea pedis and scheduled for treatment with terbinafine 1% cream once daily for one month [group A] or aluminum chloride hexahydrate 15% in ethyl alcohol solution once daily for one month [group B]. All patients submitted to standard medical assessment before initiation of treatment and photographs were captured for documents. Then all patients were followed up every two weeks for 3 months after initiation of the treatment. They were assessed for clinical improvement [efficacy], side effects [safety], and recurrence rate.
Results: The mean age was around 40 years, with a high incidence among females. Improvement was higher among group B than group A. But the difference was non-significant. The side effects were more in group B with significant differences [35.13% versus 8.1%]. Burning alone or with redness and dryness were the commonest side effects. The recurrence was higher in B than A groups [20.0% versus 15.38% respectively]. However, the difference was statistically non-significant.
Conclusions: Terbinafine and aluminum chloride are effective in the treatment of interdigital tinea pedis with a superior safety profile for terbinafine. However, the higher success rate with aluminum chloride recommends its use especially since the side effects were mild and resolved with proper care.