Therapeutic Efficacy of Mycophenolate Mofetil in Atopic Dermatitis.
- Author:
Sang Wook LEE
1
;
Young Min PARK
;
Hyung Ok KIM
;
Chung Won KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Dermatology, Kang Nam St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. knderma@cmc.cuk.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Mycophenolate mofetil;
Atopic dermatitis
- MeSH:
Autoimmunity;
Dermatitis, Atopic*;
Follow-Up Studies;
Humans;
Neutropenia;
Skin Manifestations
- From:Korean Journal of Dermatology
2002;40(8):908-913
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis has been thought be a T cell mediated disease and autoimmune response may be responsible for chronicity of typical skin manifestation. Mycophenolate mofetil(MMF), a new immunosuppressive agent can be tried in the treatment of atopic dermatits. OBJECTIVE: We examined the efficacy and safety of MMF in the treatment of atopic dermatitis in Korean patients. METHODS: 7 patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatits were recruited in the treatment of oral MMF 2 g daily for 6 weeks and followed up for another 6 weeks. Severity of atopic dermatitis was measured using SCORAD index. Laboratory examination was performed to check the side effect of MMF during the study. RESULTS: Six of 7 patients finished the treatment courses. After 6 weeks of therapy with MMF, patients' symptoms were improved and mean SCORAD index was significantly reduced from 67.2+/-15.5 to 28.7+/-13.5(p<0.01). Significant side effects such as neutropenia, infection, renal toxicity and hepatotoxicity were not observed. During the follow-up period, patients could be managed by topical steroid and oral antihistamine and flare-up was not observed. CONCLUSION: According to our study, MMF is an effective, safe and well-tolerated immunosuppressive agent in the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. MMF is a promising alternative in the treatment of severe atopic dermatitis.
