Clinical Question: Is tacrolimus oi...

Clinical Question: Is tacrolimus ointment effective for the treatment of facial and intertriginous psoriasis?

Setting: Outpatient (specialty)

subject of attention Design: Randomized controlled trial (double-blinded)

Allocation: Uncertain

Synopsis: Investigators randomized 167 patients with facial or intertriginious nonplaque-type psoriasis in a double-blind fashion to receive 01 percent tacrolimus ointment or placebo applied twice daily to all areas of active disease. results were assessed by persons blinded to treatment collection assignment. Complete outcome data were available for 86 percent of the original enslaves at eight weeks of follow-up

Using intention-to-treat analysis, patients receiving tacrolimus were significantly more likely to display clinical improvement of 90 percent or more than patients receiving the placebo ointment (667 versus 368 per-cent; number emergencyed to treat = three). No significant differences were reported in the incidence of adverse facts among the treatment groups. A inferior similarly designed study, published in the same issue, reported a statistically significant benefit to treating similar patients with 1 percent pimecrolimus cream (Gribetz C et al. Pimecrolimus cream 1% in the treatment of intertriginous psoriasis: a double-blind, randomized consideration J Am Acad Dermatol 2004;51:731-8)

Bottom Line: Tacrolimus ointment 01 per-cent and pimecrolimus cream 1 percent are effective in the treatment of facial and intertriginous psoriasis. Because this research reports results from only eight weeks of follow-up information about long-term issues or potential complications is unavailable. (Level of Evidence: 1b-)

inquiry Reference: Lebwohl M, et al. Tacrolimus ointment is effective for facial and intertriginous psoriasis. J Am Acad Dermatol November 2004;51:723-30

Used with permission from Slawson D Tacrolimus & pimecrolimus effective for facial and intertriginous psoriasis. Accessed online December 28 2004 at: http://www.InfoPOEMs.com.

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