Comparative Efficacy of 10% Sodium Sulfacetamide Lotion and 1% Clotrimazole Lotion in Treatment of Tinea versicolor

ABSTRACT: Introduction & Objective: Tinea versicolor is a common superficial fungal infection caused by normal skin flora and many topical and oral anti-fungal medications have been used for its treatment. The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic effects of 10% sodium sulfacetamide lotion with 1% clotrimazole lotion in treatment of tinea versicolor. Materials & Methods: In this single-blind clinical trial 67 patients were divided into two groups using block randomization method. The first group consisted of 33 patients who were treated with 1% clotrimazole lotion. The second group included 34 patients who received 10% sodium sulfacetamide lotion. After 2 weeks of treatment, both groups were evaluated for clinical and paraclinical responses. The collected data were recorded in a data sheet and analyzed by X2 and independent T tests, using SPSS software. Results: After 2 weeks of treatment, clinical and paraclinical responses were seen in 22 patients (66.7%) and 28 patients (84.8%) in the first group (clotrimazole lotion) and in 7 (20.6%) and 8 (23.5%) patients of the second group (sodium sulfacetamide lotion), respectively. Statistical analysis showed that the differences are significant. Conclusion: The therapeutic effect of 10% sodium sulfacetamide lotion is much less than that of 1% clotrimazole lotion in treatment of tinea versicolor