Patients' acceptance of etretinate therapy. A retrospective survey of long-term etretinate therapy in chronic keratotic and pustular skin diseases.
From January 1976 to April 1982 etretinate was used to treat patients with morbus Darier (25 patients), pustulosis palmo-plantaris (72 patients), psoriasis (79 patients), and hyperkeratotic eczema of hands and feet (eczema keratoticum; 41 patients). Dosage of etretinate ranged between 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg/day. In a retrospective survey at April 1, 1982, we observed a beneficial effect of the drug in all patients with morbus Darier, in 85% of patients with pustulosis palmo-plantaris, in 69% with psoriasis, and in 93% with eczema keratoticum. Many patients experienced side effects. Within 9 months more than half of the patients had stopped treatment primarily due to side effects, except patients with morbus Darier, whose median duration of treatment was 34 months with a range from 7 to 60 months. We will recommend that etretinate is used during short-term or intermittent courses of therapy, except in patients with morbus Darier, where a low dosage of etretinate is able to give a beneficial clinical effect.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D007644:Darier Disease / Q000188:drug therapy; D004485:Eczema / Q000188:drug therapy; D005050:Etretinate / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007642:Keratosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013997:Time Factors
D005050:Etretinate