International Digest
Topical calcitriol therapy for psoriasis
Canadian Medical Association Journal 1996; 155: 909
Source: Perez A, Chen TC, Turner A, Raab R, Bhawan J, Poche P, et al. Efficacy and safety of topical calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3) for the treatment of psoriasis. Br J Dermatol 1996; 134: 238-46.
To determine the efficacy and safety of topical calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3) therapy for psoriasis, researchers in Boston conducted a double-blind trial in which 84 adults with stable plaque or erythrodermic psoriasis applied 0.1 g of calcitriol ointment (15 µg calcitriol/g Vaseline) to a 50-cm2 lesion and Vaseline alone to a similar, contralateral lesion each night for 2.4 months. Lesions treated with calcitriol improved markedly with respect to scaling, erythema, plaque thickness and global severity score compared with those treated with Vaseline. A subgroup of 22 patients who applied calcitriol ointment in the same amount (up to 10 g) to all of their lesions for 2 months after the double-blind phase showed substantial improvement in lesion severity and size without local side effects or biochemical abnormalities related to calcium and bone metabolism.
| CMAJ October 1, 1996 (vol 155, no 7) |