Treatment of Invasive Aspergillosis with Itraconazole

In 1989, a study evaluated itraconazole, a new oral triazole antifungal medication, for treating invasive aspergillosis in 21 patients. The study found that of the 15 evaluable patients, 12 responded to the treatment with itraconazole doses ranging from 100 to 400 mg per day. This response was observed across various forms of aspergillosis and in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients, including those with neutropenia and organ transplants. While the document reported rare side effects, one patient experienced hair loss attributed to telogen effluvium. The document concluded that itraconazole could be fungicidal at achievable serum concentrations for most isolates and may be superior to other agents in certain cases, but it also highlighted the need for further research due to the variability in drug susceptibility and serum concentrations. Despite some patients not surviving, itraconazole was suggested as a potential important advance in aspergillosis therapy, with calls for more extensive studies to fully assess its efficacy.