TOPICAL TACROLIMUS AND

Science Links Japan | Dosage and Adverse Effects of Topical Tacrolimus and Steroids in Daily Management of Atopic Dermatitis TOP J-EAST List of Journal Titles (J) J Dermatol(2004) Dosage and Adverse Effects of Topical Tacrolimus and Steroids in Daily Management of Atopic Dermatitis FURUE M(Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka, Jpn) TERAO H(Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka, Jpn) MOROI Y(Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka, Jpn) KOGA T(Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka, Jpn) KUBOTA Y(Fukuoka Univ., Fukuoka, Jpn) NAKAYAMA J(Fukuoka Univ., Fukuoka, Jpn) FURUKAWA F(Wakayama Medical Univ., Wakayama, Jpn) TANAKA Y(Nagasaki Univ., Nagasaki, Jpn) KATAYAMA I(Nagasaki Univ., Nagasaki, Jpn) Since 1999, combination therapy with tacrolimus and topical steroids has been widely used for the treatment of adolescent/adult-type atopic dermatitis. In order to determine the clinical doses of topical tacrolimus and steroids for daily treatment of atopic dermatitis and to elucidate their beneficial and adverse effects, we analyzed the clinical data from 215 patients with atopic dermatitis who were more than 16 years old. Less than 70 g of tacrolimus and less than 15 g of steroids were applied to 90% of the patients on the face and neck, and less than 75.8 g of tacrolimus and less than 322 g of steroids were applied to 90% of the patients on the trunk and extremities during the six-month treatment period. Topical tacrolimus is much more frequently used on face and neck lesions (99.1%); in only 39.5% of cases was it used on the trunk and extremities. The majority of patients improved after six months of the combination topical therapy; however, atopic dermatitis was not controlled in 6% of the patients. The combination therapy did not seem to increase the risk of cutaneous infections; however, the incidence of herpes simplex infection on the face and neck was 2.8% at pre-treatment and slightly increased to 4.7% during the therapy.