Liu Panpan, Li Jie, Zhang Jianglin, Su Juan, Kuang Yehong, Chen Xiang and Zhu Wu
Central South University, China
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Clin Exp Dermatol Res
Objective: To compare acitretin and methotrexate in severe plaque psoriasis in terms of effectiveness and side effects. Methods: A total of 54 patients were assigned to treatment for 8 weeks with either acitretin (32 patients; 30 mg per day) or methotrexate (22 patients; 15 mg per week). The effectiveness of two kinds of drugs was assessed by psoriasis area and severity index (PASI). Results: After 8 weeks of treatment, the mean (�±s) score for PASI decreased from 24.46�±5.53 at base line to 9.65�±6.71 (P<0.001) among 32 patients treated with acitretin, whereas the score decreased from 25.21�±5.86 to 7.00�±4.56 (P<0.001) among 22 patients treated with methotrexate. However, there were no significant differences in the response rates of PASI between two groups and also in PASI50, PASI75 and PASI90 response rate (P>0.05). Conclusions: Acitretin and methotrexate in severe plaque psoriasis were similarly effective and the incidence of adverse reactions was low.
Liu Panpan is currently a Master’s degree student at the Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, China.
Email: liupanpan91@hotmail.com
