Efficacy of corticosteroids in acute experimental irritant contact dermatitis?
OBJECTIVE
Topical corticoids are used to treat irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) in humans. However, their clinical efficacy remains sub judice. This study was designed to assess the efficacy of low- and medium-potency corticosteroids on irritant dermatitis.


METHODS
We induced an acute ICD via open application of sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) on the hands of subjects. The dorsal side of hands was irritated with 10% SLS five times in one day. Once on day 1 and twice daily on days 2-5, 1% hydrocortisone, 0.1% betamethasone-17-valerate and vehicle cream (petrolatum) were applied subsequently. Visual grading, bioengineering techniques and squamometry were used to quantify skin response.


RESULTS
Corticosteroids were found ineffective in treating the surfactant-induced irritant dermatitis when compared with the vehicle and with the untreated control.


CONCLUSIONS
The counterintuitive result (in a relatively realistic and robust model) should be interpreted with caution until verified with other irritants of varying physicochemical properties.
Levin
C
C
Department of Dermatology, University of California at San Francisco Medical Center, CA 94143-0989, USA.
Zhai
H
H
Bashir
S
S
Chew
A L
AL
Anigbogu
A
A
Stern
R
R
Maibach
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001624:Betamethasone Valerate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003877:Dermatitis, Contact / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D017211:Treatment Failure
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; D001624:Betamethasone Valerate; D006854:Hydrocortisone