•Skin is the largest organ and
is the first protective barrier that is exposed to various environmental and
chemical factors, as well as infections.
•Skin diseases affect almost 900
million people in the world at any time, are among the highest of all human
diseases & the fourth leading cause of nonfatal disease burden worldwide.
•The earliest most common fungal
infections which are Tinea Corporis (Ring-worm) and Tinea Cruris (Jock Itch).
•Fungal infections can affect
the quality of life of affected individuals with significant impact on sleep
patterns, emotions & social life.
•Currently, five common classes
of antifungal drugs such as
Azoles, Polyenes, Echinocandins, Allylamines and Pyrimidine analogs
are available for superficial and systemic antifungal therapies.
•Among
these, Azole class of drugs
includes Imidazoles (Miconazole and Ketoconazole)
and Triazoles (Fluconazole and Voriconazole) have been the most
successful backbone.
•Large varieties of systemic as
well as topical antifungal agents are available in the market. Some newer
antifungal agents are flooding into the market in current days
e.g. Eberconazole and Posaconazole.
•The WHO
has developed three highly standardized core drug use indicators.5 These
are prescribing indicators, patient care indicators, and facility indicators.
•Hence this
study aims to evaluate the prescription pattern with distribution of fungal
disease.
•Prescription
of drugs requires expertise in diagnostics, an understanding of common
medications and their therapeutic effects, adverse effects, and drug
interactions, a grasp of the fundamentals of clinical pharmacology,
communication abilities, and the capacity to weigh the pros and cons of
treatment.
•In tropical countries like
India, Fungal infections are more common and have increased in the last four
decades due to environmental factors, increased use of broad spectrum
antifungal agents and increasing prevalence of patients with immune deficiency states.
•Frequency of invasive fungal
infections with the emergence of new species of pathogenic fungi have increased
vastly, so rational use of antifungal drugs in clinical practice has important
implications for patient care as it can facilitate their rational use for
prophylaxis, empirical, pre-emptive & targeted treatment.
•The purpose of the present
study is to understand the prescribing pattern of antifungal agents, their use
will be standardized as per WHO prescribing indicators, also analyzing the
factors such as the choice, dosages, treatment duration, and considerations of
patient demographics and co-morbidities, which will enhance the rational use of
antifungal drugs.