A survey on head lice infestation in Korea (2001) and the therapeutic efficacy of oral trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole adding to lindane shampoo

Abstract

Total of 7,495 children including 3,908 boys and 3,587 girls from a kindergarten and 15 primaryschools were examined for head lice infestation (HLI). The overall prevalence of HLI in this study was foundto be 5.8%. Head lice were much more commonly detected in girls than in boys with prevalence of 11.2% and0.9%, respectively. Sixty-nine children with HLI were treated with 1% lindane shampoo alone (group 1), and45 children with HLI were treated with 1% lindane shampoo and oral trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (group2), and follow-up visits were conducted 2 and 4 weeks later. The children who still had HLI 2 weeks after theprimary treatment were treated again. At the 2-week follow-up visit, the treatment success rates of groups 1and 2 were 76.8% and 86.7%, respectively, and at the 4-week follow-up visit, the rates were 91.3% and97.8%, respectively. No statistically significant synergistic effect was observed for the combination of a 1%lindane shampoo and oral trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole.