Efficacy and safety of oral ivermectin combined with topical permethrin in treatment of scabies.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the efficacy and safety of oral ivermectin and topical permethrin when given either alone or in combination in patients with scabies. Study Design: Randomized Controlled Trial. Setting: Department of Dermatology, Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore. Period: April, 2022 to September, 2022. Material & Methods: A total of 369 patients with scabies, age 18-60 years and both genders were enrolled after taking written informed consent and were randomly and equally divided into three groups. Group A received 5% topical permethrin, Group B received oral Ivermectin and Group C received a combination of topical permethrin and oral ivermectin. Efficacy and safety was assessed over 3 weeks. Results: The mean age of the patients was 4110.9. There were 164 (44.4%) males and 205 (55.6%) females. The treatment in Group A, B and C was efficacious in 70.7%, 67.5% and 84.6% patients respectively and there was a significant difference between Group A versus C (p=0.009) and Group B versus C (p=0.002). In terms of side effects, 11.4% patients in Group A, 13% in Group B and 17% in Group C experienced side effects. Conclusion: The combination therapy was more efficacious than either treatment alone in patients with scabies, however, the side effects were more compared to single agent.