UVB versus UVB plus calcipotriol (MC 903) therapy for psoriasis vulgaris.

It is well known that UVB therapy of psoriasis vulgaris is potentiated by the association with topical and oral drugs, while till now there have been very few reports on the association between UVB and calcipotriol. In order to evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of this association, we studied 19 patients with psoriasis vulgaris of mild severity (PASI: 5-10). Each patient was treated with UVB and invited to apply calcipotriol 50 micrograms/g ointment twice a day on one lesion usually on elbows or knees in order to compare it with the opposite side. The evaluation of each lesion was performed before and after 4 weeks of therapy. Our data show that the association between UVB and calcipotriol is significantly more effective than UVB therapy alone: 17 out of 19 patients (89%) showed a greater improvement with UVB plus calcipotriol as compared to UVB alone.

Hyperpigmentation due to calcipotriol (MC 903) plus heliotherapy in psoriatic patients. Three case reports.

Calcipotriol is a synthetic analogue of vitamin D, used in the treatment of psoriasis. Until now no specific sid-effects have been described after combined therapy with calcipotriol and UV. We describe 3 patients, who in the summer of 1993, after a combined treatment of calcipotriol and heliotherapy, developed hyperpigmentation in the site where the ointment had been applied. Hyperpigmentation healed spontaneously in less than 7 months. To the best of our knowledge there are no other reports of this side-effect due to calcipotriol. In our opinion the fact that the 3 patients presented the hyperpigmentation only on the treated lesions and that, in the past, they had not presented similar lesions after exposure to sunlight confirms the relationship between the hyperpigmentation and the combined treatment used.

The nails in psoriatic arthritis.

Nail involvement is often present in patients suffering from psoriatic arthritis. Up to the present, no data concerning the rate of onychopathy associated with psoriatic arthropathy have been reported. 52 patients with psoriatic arthropathy have been studied with particular attention to the possible presence of and the typical features of onychopathy. Nail changes were noted in 86.5% of patients affected by arthropathic psoriasis. The commonest toenail alteration was subungual hyperkeratosis, while the most frequent fingernail change was pitting.

Allergic contact dermatitis in Trieste from 1987 to 1991.

Between 1987 and 1991, the authors made patch-tests on 1,427 patients, 389 male and 1,038 female, of mean age 36 years (6-70 years) and mostly suffering from eczema. The standard tests of Italian Group for Research into Contact Dermatitis and the Environment (GIRDCA) were used, following the best data of recent years. Nickel sulphate, thiomersal, "Fragrance mix", cobalt sulphate and potassium bichromate were the allergens varied with age: nickel and thiomersal were most frequently positive between 20 and 30 years. In contrast, the highest frequency of positivity to fragrance mix was seen between 40 and 60 years. Positivity to a simple allergen had a tendancy to reduce with age.

Psoriatic arthritis treated with cyclosporin A.

Cyclosporin A (CyA) is a very effective immunosuppressor for inhibition of the humoral immune response and especially for cell mediation and was originally indicated for transplantation of organs and autoimmune diseases. More recently, CyA has been used successfully for severe psoriasis. In this study, the authors describe the results obtained from 8 patients who presented with a psoriatic arthropathy, treated with small doses of CyA (3-5 mg/kg/day). There were reactions in five of them, in two patients the Ritchie index decreased moderately and in one patient the arthritic psoriasis was significantly improved.