2003 Volume 65 Issue 2 Pages 175-182
In a case study involving 19 adult patients (all exhibiting moderate to severe atopic dermatitis on the torso and limbs with lichenification and nodular prurigo) the efficacy of dual ointment combination therapy was evaluated. All patients were initially treated for a two-week period with simultaneous applications of tacrolimus ointment and either a strong or very strong corticosteroid ointment. Thereafter, they were treated with by monotherapy using tacrolimus ointment for an additional 22 weeks. After completing this combination therapy regimen, the investigator scores for erythema, papula, prurigo, and lichenification on the upper limbs all significantly decreased, and a continuous improvement was observed throughout the succeeding period of tacrolimus ointment monotherapy. The pruritus score also significantly decreased while, following the treatment, a marked reduction of epidermal acanthosis and dermal inflammatory cell infiltration on the nodule lesions obtained from skin biopsies was observed. The present report suggests that the a forementioned dual therapy regimen is effective for the treatment of atopic dermatitis on regions of the torso and limbs.
