A multicenter double-blind evaluation of ketoconazole in the treatment of dermatomycoses.

A multicenter double-blind study was conducted on the use of ketoconazole and griseofulvin for the treatment of dermatomycoses. Of one hundred thirty cases (one hundred twenty-seven patients) for which efficacy data were available, sixty-six were treated with a single daily dose of 200 mg ketoconazole, and sixty-four were treated with a single daily dose of 250 mg griseofulvin for periods of two to sixteen weeks. The proportion of remissions observed with ketoconazole (61 percent) was significantly greater (p = 0.02) than that observed with griseofulvin (39 percent). The proportion of relapses within two months was significantly less (p less than 0.01) in the ketoconazole group (9 percent) than in the griseofulvin group (43 percent). The frequency and severity of side effects were comparable in the two groups.