Treatment of cerebral Aspergillosis with itraconazole: do high doses improve the prognosis?

Clin Infect Dis. 1995 Dec;21(6):1485-7. doi: 10.1093/clinids/21.6.1485.

Abstract

We describe a 72-year-old woman with chronic asthma who presented with cerebral abscesses due to Aspergillus fumigatus after she received treatment with corticosteroids. Therapy with high-dose itraconazole (800 mg/d for 5 months, followed by 400 mg/d for an additional 4.5 months) resulted in complete resolution of all lesions. Serum concentrations of the drug ranged from 2 micrograms/mL to 30 micrograms/mL. Review of 20 cases of cerebral aspergillosis that were treated with itraconazole revealed that three of the four patients who received high doses (800 mg/d in the adults) of the drug responded favorably, while only two of the 16 patients who received a dose of 400 mg/d were cured. The use of high-dose itraconazole appears to be justified for high-risk patients with cerebral aspergillosis for whom conventional therapy has failed.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Antifungal Agents / metabolism
  • Antifungal Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Aspergillosis / drug therapy*
  • Aspergillosis / pathology
  • Aspergillus fumigatus* / drug effects
  • Aspergillus fumigatus* / isolation & purification
  • Brain Abscess / drug therapy*
  • Brain Abscess / microbiology
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Itraconazole / metabolism
  • Itraconazole / therapeutic use*
  • Prognosis
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Itraconazole