Journal List > Allergy Asthma Respir Dis > v.1(3) > 1058962

Han, Lee, Ko, Kim, Kim, Seo, Lew, Lee, Lee, Park, Jang, Park, Hong, Chang, Lee, Choi, Moon, and Won: Effect of infosheet for topical tacrolimus 0.1% and its efficacy and compliance in the treatment of atopic dermatitis

Abstract

Purpose

Topical calcineurin inhibitor is recently developed topical immunomodulator, and preliminary studies showed its effectiveness in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD). However, some side effects including transient irritation can influence the patient compliance. So, there are some needs to improve the patient compliance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, safety and patient compliance with using topical tacrolimus 0.1% to treat AD when the correct information about topical tacrolimus are properly given to patients.

Methods

We examined the medical recordings, clinical severity scoring of total 194 AD patients at 9 general hospitals in Seoul, Korea from September 2010 to August 2011. We offered an infosheet of topical tacrolimus 0.1% and the patients applied it twice a day for 2 weeks. And we measured the efficacy of the topical tacrolimus 0.1% with SCORing atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) index, patient's global assessment (PGA), and investigator's global assessment (IGA).

Results

Topical tacrolimus 0.1% effectively controlled AD with a reduction of the SCORAD index from baseline 31.9 to 20.2 at 2 weeks of application. In IGA results showed 98% got improvement and in PGA, results showed 96% got improvement after treatment. Although 42.3% of the patients complained of adverse effects, these were all transient. The effect of information on topical tacrolimus 0.1% showed 34% patients could predict the side effect, 35% patients could feel safety to use, and 18% patients experienced side effect but could maintain topical calcineurin inhibitor.

Conclusion

Topical tacrolimus 0.1% may be an effective treatment modality for AD when patients show good compliance for applying the ointment. And properly given, the correct information may increase the patient compliance.

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1
Information about 0.1% tacrolimus includes method of applying and expected side effect such as irritation.
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Fig. 2
SCORing atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) score change after treatment. All the values including SCORAD, A score (extent), B score (intensity), C score (subjective symptoms, pruritus+sleep loss) decreased significantly after treatment (*P<0.05).
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Fig. 3
(A) Investigator's global assessment and (B) patient's global assessment. Both shows similar improvement.
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Fig. 4
Side effects of topical tacrolimus 0.1%.
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Fig. 5
The reasons of keep using topical tacrolimus 0.1%.
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Fig. 6
The effect of infosheet about topical tacrolimus. Total 87% of patients (helpful, relieved to use, side effect but keep using) had help to use the drug.
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Table 1
Investigator's and patient's global assessment grade
aard-1-221-i001

Notes

This study was supported by Asan Life Science Research (2010-487) and Astellas Pharma Inc.

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