ISSN:
1365-4632
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Sixteen Asian patients (6 men and 10 women), in the age range 41–74 years, presenting clinically with symmetrically distributed lichen amyloidosis (LA) on the extremities, were enrolled in this double-blind, right–left comparison pilot study to evaluate the efficacy of calcipotriol ointment (50 μg/g) vs. betamethasone 17-valerate ointment (0.1%).This trial was conducted in a tertiary skin referral center in Singapore and consecutive patients with LA were recruited over a 3-month period. Excluded were patients who were pregnant or lactating, patients with known contact allergy to either calcipotriol or topical steroid, patients with hypercalcemia, and those with significant hepatic or renal disease.After a washout period of 2 weeks, the ointments were applied separately to either the right or left extremities twice daily for a period of 12 weeks. Assessments were made at weeks 0, 4, 8, and 12 by both the physician and the patient. Treatment responses were assessed as follows: roughness (visual analog scale of 1–10, 1 being the least rough and 10 being the most rough), hyperpigmentation (visual analog scale of 1–10, 1 being the least hyperpigmented and 10 being the most hyperpigmented), and any adverse events. An additional parameter assessed by the patient was pruritus (visual analog scale of 1–10, 1 being the least pruritic and 10 being the most pruritic). Clinical photographs were taken during each review.For analyses of the responses, the mean roughness score is defined as the average sum of the roughness score of all patients for each treated side. Likewise the mean hyperpigmentation score and the mean pruritus score are defined as the average sum of hyperpigmentation and the average sum of pruritus, respectively. Any score differences observed between week 0 and week 12 within the two treatment groups were analyzed by Wilcoxon signed ranked test for statistical significance; differences in scores between the two treatment groups were analyzed by Mann–Whitney U-test.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-4362.1999.00714.x
Permalink