Who can enter
- Children receiving fluconazole to prevent or treat an invasive fungal infection
- Children aged 2-18 years
Goal
The goal of this study is to optimize fluconazole dosing in children for the prevention or treatment of invasive fungal infections.
Background
Immunocompromised children, such as children with cancer or certain auto-immune deficiencies, have an increased risk for severe fungal infections. Mortality rates under these children are extremely high. Of all children with an invasive fungal infection, 20-80% dies because of the consequences of this infection.
Fluconazole is an important drug to prevent and treat these fungal infections. Although fluconazole has been available since 1990, little information is known on its use in children. Information on the dose needed to treat children best is lacking. The current fluconazole dose for children is derived from the adult dosing regimen and adjusted for the child’s body weight. This may sound reasonable, but children are not small adults. Their bodies are developing and a drug is handled differently than by an adult body. That is why children sometimes need higher or lower doses of a drug. The wrong dose can result in an ineffective therapy or in more adverse side effects.
With this study, we want to investigate what fluconazole dose is exactly needed to treat a child effectively and safely. It is our goal to ensure that this dosing regimen will be implemented in international guidelines, so all physicians can prescribe the best dose for a child.