Treatment of erythrasma: A double-blinded randomized controlled trial on the clinical application of clotrimazole and sertaconazole

Introduction: Topical clotrimazole and sertaconazole may be effective in the treatment of erythrasma, a superficial skin infection developed by a group of aerobic microorganisms. This study aimed to compare the effect of clotrimazole and sertaconazole on erythrasma.

Methods: In this double-blinded randomized controlled trial, 40 age-matched patients with confirmed erythrasma diagnosis were divided into two equal groups; one treated with topical 2% sertaconazole and the other with topical 1% clotrimazole. The clinical features of erythrasma were monitored for two weeks (baseline, day 7, and day 14) and compared. Data were analyzed using SPSS v16 software.

Results: On day 7, in clotrimazole group, reduction in erythema and pigmentation were more prominent in comparison to the sertaconazole group (P=0.02 and P=0.005, respectively), but there was no difference considering scaling reduction between groups. On day 14, in terms of erythema reduction, the clotrimazole group performed better compared to the sertaconazole group (P=0.04). Both groups had a significant reduction in erythrasma symptoms during their treatment period (P<0.001).

Conclusions: Regarding the results, both clotrimazole and sertaconazole are effective medications for erythrasma treatment. Still, clotrimazole has a faster recovery process in comparison to sertaconazole, but no significant difference is observed in outcomes after two weeks of treatment.