title: Topical application of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs prevents vehicle-induced improvement of psoriasis.
abstract: In a double-blind fashion, we compared the effect of topical application of 1% indomethacin cream or 1% meclofenamate cream with the effect of vehicle therapy alone in thirty patients with psoriasis. After 4 weeks' treatment of bilaterally symmetric psoriatic plaques, the indomethacin-treated sides were worse than the vehicle-treated sides in fourteen of twenty patients (p less than 0.01); the meclofenamate-treated sides were worse than the vehicle-treated sides in seven of ten patients (p less than 0.05). We suspect that the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs contributed to the maintenance of our patients' psoriasis by altering the arachidonic acid transformation cascade.
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D001711:Biotransformation; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008469:Meclofenamic Acid / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009824:Ointments / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D062367:ortho-Aminobenzoates / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D009824:Ointments; D062367:ortho-Aminobenzoates; D008469:Meclofenamic Acid; D007213:Indomethacin