ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of combining the 308-nm Excimer lamp with Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment, compared to Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment monotherapy, for treating pediatric vitiligo involving less than 10% of the body surface area. METHODS: Fifty pediatric patients with vitiligo were randomly assigned to two groups. Group A received Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment twice daily and Excimer light at 308-nm twice weekly, while Group B received Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment alone, administered twice daily. Repigmentation percentages were evaluated after 30, 90, and 180 days using the rule of nine. RESULTS: Group A exhibited a significant improvement in repigmentation, increasing from 10% after one month to 65% after six months. In contrast, Group B observed an increase from 10% to 30% over the same timeframe. The efficacy of the treatment was significantly higher in Group A at both the 3-month and 6-month follow-up points (p-value < .001). Moreover, Group A achieved notably higher repigmentation rates in the face, trunk, and lower limbs. CONCLUSION: The combination of Tacrolimus and the 308-nm excimer lamp yielded superior repigmentation results compared to Tacrolimus monotherapy in pediatric vitiligo patients. This combined approach may offer an effective new treatment protocol for pediatric vitiligo.
Subject(s)
Tacrolimus , Vitiligo , Child , Humans , Combined Modality Therapy , Ointments , Tacrolimus/adverse effects , Treatment Outcome , Vitiligo/drug therapyABSTRACT
Purpose: Vitiligo is an idiopathic depigmenting skin disorder. The study compares the efficacy of topical tacrolimus 0.1% with calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate in vitiligo patients receiving NB-UVB treatment.Materials and methods: Forty-one adult patients with generalized type vitiligo were recruited. Patients were assigned to phototherapy and then classified into either group one (20 patients), receiving calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate cream (D group), or group two (21 patients), receiving tacrolimus 0.1% ointment (T group). They were followed-up at 3 and 6 months.Results: The D group witnessed an increase in the repigmentation area from 35.4% in the third month to 54.7% in the sixth month (p = 0.001) and the T group from 32.2% to 45.6% (p = 0.011). However, the differences between the treatment groups were not statistically significant. Body sites demonstrated different levels of improvement ranging from the highest in the face to the lowest in the Hand & Feet with the other body sites in between. A negative correlation was identified between the duration since diagnosis and the response to D treatment (3 months: r = -0.612, p = 0.007; 6 months: r = -0.755, p = 0.001).Conclusions: Although both combinations are efficacious, they did not significantly differ in efficacy at three and six months follow-up points.Clinical trial registration: The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04440371).