Therapeutic Effect of Minocycline on Confluent and Reticulated Papillomatosis

Shin, Sung Wook; Kim, Jong Gu; Cha, Seung Hoon; Park, Seok Don

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Confluent and reticulate papillomatosis(CRP) of Gougerot and Carteaud is an uncommon disorder of unknown cause for which a variety of treatments have been proposed.
OBJECTIVE
We attempted to evaluate the therapeutic effect of oral minocycline for CRP. METHOD: Nine patients(age range, 14 to 38; mean age, 21years) with CRP were included in this study. They took minocycline 100mg daily. The therapeutic effect was evaluated weekly by 5 scoring systems according to the percentage clearing of the skin lesion: poor (score 1), <25% clearing; fair (score 2), 26-50%; good (score 3), 51-75%; excellent (score 4), 76-95%, clear(score 5), >95%.
RESULTS
Two out of 9 patients showed complete clearing(score 5) of the skin lesions within 2 weeks. Seven patients revealed incomplete clearing(score 4) within 3 to 8 weeks. The mean scoring for 9 CRP patients was 4.2. Recurrences were noted in two patients at 24 and 26 months, respectively, but they responded to re-treatment with minocycline. The patients did not show any adverse reactions apart from two patients who developed mild pruritus.
CONCLUSION
We recommend minocycline as the first choice of treatment for CRP because minocycline is safe, economic and effective.