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Diflucan, taken once a week for six months was found to reduce the frequency of recurrent vaginal Candida infections by more than 90%.
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In a study published in this weeks
issue of New England Journal of Medicine, researchers have found long
term administration of Diflucan to be effective in treating chronic
vaginal candidiasis.
Vaginal yeast infection (vaginal
candidiasis) is a common condition which almost every woman has
experienced at one time or another. It is usually very easy to treat.
However, for some less fortunate ones (almost 5%) the infection keeps
recurring. Those with four or more infections per year are termed as
having
chronic/ recurrent vaginal candidiasis.
It is not known why some women experience recurrent infections.
Chronic
vulvovaginal candidiasis is term denoting more than four episodes a
year. Several theories exist as to why this happens in some women. One
theory proposes that re-infection of the vagina occurs from an
intestinal reservoir, another theory assumes that small numbers of the
organism remain in the vagina. The sexual transmission theory views an
untreated partner as the source of the reinfection.
In patients with recurrent
candidiasis, treatment consisted of therapy based on a positive
fungal culture, corroborated by a negative follow-up culture. This
results in resolution of symptoms approximately 90 percent of the time.
Diflucan (fluconazole)
Diflucan (fluconazole)
is a potent
antifungal known to act against most candida species (particularly
candida albicans).
Diflucan,
manufactured by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, has demonstrated effective
action against both oral and
vaginal
candidiasis even in cases resistant to nystatin or
clotrimazole. One of it's side effects is liver toxicity although
that appears to be more common in patients with concomitant health
issues and seems to be reversible on stopping the drug.
Study details
In a six-month placebo controlled study involving nearly 400 women
with a history of
recurrent candida vaginal infections, the
antifungal
drug
Diflucan, taken once a week, was found to reduce the frequency of
infections by more than 90%.
Long term use of the drug appeared to be safe and highly effective in
preventing recurrent vaginal yeast infections. The women treated with
Diflucan
initially took three 150-milligram oral doses of the drug at 3 day
intervals, followed by a weekly 150-milligram dose taken for six months.
By the end of the six-month treatment period just 8% of the women on
Diflucan
had experienced recurrences, compared with 64% of women in the control
group. Six months after treatment ended, however, 57% of the women
treated with
Diflucan
had experienced recurrences, leaving 43% of the
Diflucan-treated
women with no vaginal infections in the six months after treatment
ended.
References
Sobel et al, J. New England Journal of Medicine, Aug. 26, 2004; vol.
351: pp 876-883.
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