PMID- 21070335
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20110510
LR  - 20181201
IS  - 1365-2230 (Electronic)
IS  - 0307-6938 (Linking)
VI  - 36
IP  - 2
DP  - 2011 Mar
TI  - An open-label study assessing the safety and efficacy of alitretinoin in patients 
      with severe chronic hand eczema unresponsive to topical corticosteroids.
PG  - 149-54
LID - 10.1111/j.1365-2230.2010.03955.x [doi]
AB  - BACKGROUND: Blinded, controlled studies have found that oral alitretinoin is well 
      tolerated and effective in the treatment of severe chronic hand eczema (CHE). 
      AIM: To assess the safety and efficacy of oral alitretinoin in patients with 
      severe CHE in an open-label study using flexible dosing and a new measurement of 
      patient-relevant benefits. METHODS: In total, 249 patients aged 18-75 years with 
      severe CHE unresponsive to treatment with topical corticosteroids received 
      alitretinoin 30 mg once daily for up to 24 weeks. Safety assessments included 
      adverse events (AEs) and laboratory tests. Efficacy assessments included 
      Physician's Global Assessment (PGA), the Modified Total Lesion Symptom Score, 
      Patient's Global Assessment and extent of disease, as well as intensity of pain 
      and pruritus as determined by visual analogue scale (VAS) and a categorical scale 
      for pruritus. RESULTS: Alitretinoin was well tolerated when given for up to 24 
      weeks. Dose reduction occurred in 16.5% of patients. Dose interruption was 
      required for 15.7% of patients, most commonly for headache. AEs and laboratory 
      changes comprised effects typical of the retinoid class. A PGA response of 
      'clear' or 'almost clear' hands was reported for 46.6% of patients, similar to 
      the response rate seen in blinded trials. Results of VAS and categorical 
      assessments of pruritus provided supporting evidence of efficacy, and treatment 
      was assessed as providing meaningful benefits to patients. CONCLUSIONS: Oral 
      alitretinoin 30 mg was well tolerated and effective, and provided distinct 
      therapeutic benefits in severe CHE, as assessed by patients.
CI  - (c) The Author(s). CED (c) 2010 British Association of Dermatologists.
FAU - Dirschka, T
AU  - Dirschka T
AD  - Private University Witten-Herdecke, Faculty of Health, Witten-Herdecke, Germany. 
      drdirschka@aol.com
FAU - Reich, K
AU  - Reich K
FAU - Bissonnette, R
AU  - Bissonnette R
FAU - Maares, J
AU  - Maares J
FAU - Brown, T
AU  - Brown T
FAU - Diepgen, T L
AU  - Diepgen TL
LA  - eng
PT  - Clinical Trial
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Multicenter Study
DEP - 20101110
PL  - England
TA  - Clin Exp Dermatol
JT  - Clinical and experimental dermatology
JID - 7606847
RN  - 0 (Dermatologic Agents)
RN  - 0 (Glucocorticoids)
RN  - 1UA8E65KDZ (Alitretinoin)
RN  - 5688UTC01R (Tretinoin)
SB  - IM
MH  - Administration, Oral
MH  - Adolescent
MH  - Adult
MH  - Aged
MH  - Alitretinoin
MH  - Chronic Disease
MH  - Dermatologic Agents/administration & dosage/*adverse effects/therapeutic use
MH  - Drug Administration Schedule
MH  - Female
MH  - Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use
MH  - Hand Dermatoses/*drug therapy
MH  - Humans
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Severity of Illness Index
MH  - Treatment Failure
MH  - Treatment Outcome
MH  - Tretinoin/administration & dosage/*adverse effects/therapeutic use
MH  - Young Adult
EDAT- 2010/11/13 06:00
MHDA- 2011/05/11 06:00
CRDT- 2010/11/13 06:00
PHST- 2010/11/13 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2010/11/13 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2011/05/11 06:00 [medline]
AID - 10.1111/j.1365-2230.2010.03955.x [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Clin Exp Dermatol. 2011 Mar;36(2):149-54. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2230.2010.03955.x. 
      Epub 2010 Nov 10.