Itraconazole Serum Trough Concentrations Using Oral Capsules for the Treatment of Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis: What is the Target?

In regions where there is only itraconazole capsule as a therapeutic option for treatment of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA), measuring the serum concentrations becomes even more important for therapeutic success. Evaluate the initial itraconazole serum trough concentrations after the administration of oral capsule of itraconazole for the treatment of CPA. The measurement was performed at least 7-days after initiation of therapy. The standard treatment at our institution was a 200 mg capsule every 12 h. We defined that an adequate serum trough concentration of itraconazole during treatment was 1–4 mg/L. This study recruited 28 patients. The median value was 0.30 mg/L (IQR 0.01–0.70). Only 11