Ann Dermatol.  2013 May;25(2):168-172. 10.5021/ad.2013.25.2.168.

A Pilot Study of 1% Pimecrolimus Cream for the Treatment of Childhood Segmental Vitiligo

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea. drkmp@hanmail.net
  • 2Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea.

Abstract

BACKGROUND
There is as yet no effective and safe treatment for vitiligo. One percent pimecrolimus cream, a topical calcineurin inhibitor, has been tried for the treatment of vitiligo, with its therapeutic efficacy having mostly been reported in non-segmental vitiligo. However, questions about the therapeutic efficacy of 1% pimecrolimus cream have remained unanswered regarding segmental vitiligo.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to study the therapeutic efficacy and safety of 1% pimecrolimus cream for segmental childhood vitiligo.
METHODS
Nine childhood patients with segmental vitiligo were treated with 1% pimecrolimus cream twice daily for three months, after which good responders were scheduled to continue with the 1% pimecrolimus cream monotherapy. The efficacy and safety of this treatment were determined by the levels of repigmentation, initial response time and the presence of adverse events including burning, dryness, stinging and itching.
RESULTS
Four of nine patients achieved mild to moderate responses after three months of treatment and thus continued with treatment. Among these four patients, three achieved an excellent response and one patient achieved a moderate response, with a mean treatment duration of 7.3 months. Transient local burning sensation was the most common adverse event. In comparison with the patients with poor response, those patients with good response showed a shorter disease duration (8.5+/-10.5 mo vs. 13.4+/-10.1 mo), more frequent facial involvement (4/4 patients vs. 3/5 patients) and earlier initial response after treatment (1.0+/-0.0 mo vs. 2.0+/-1.0 mo).
CONCLUSION
This study suggests that 1% pimecrolimus cream is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for segmental childhood vitiligo.

Keyword

Pimecrolimus; Vitiligo

MeSH Terms

Bites and Stings
Burns
Calcineurin
Humans
Pilot Projects
Reaction Time
Sensation
Tacrolimus
Vitiligo
Calcineurin
Tacrolimus

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Six-year-old male patient with minimal response to 1% pimecrolimus cream in vitiligo. (A) Before treatment, (B) after three months of treatment.

  • Fig. 2 Sixteen-year-old male patient with excellent response to 1% pimecrolimus cream in vitiligo. (A) Before treatment, (B) after three months of treatment, (C) after six months of treatment.


Cited by  1 articles

Pimecrolimus increases the melanogenesis and migration of melanocytes in vitro
Ping Xu, Jie Chen, Cheng Tan, Ren-Sheng Lai, Zhong-Sheng Min
Korean J Physiol Pharmacol. 2017;21(3):287-292.    doi: 10.4196/kjpp.2017.21.3.287.


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