title: The efficacy of low-dose oral corticosteroids in the treatment of vitiligo patient.
abstract: Autoimmunity is one of the most probable pathogenesis of vitiligo. Systemic corticosteroids may arrest the progression of vitiligo and lead to repigmentation by suppressing immunity. The clinical efficacy of low-dose oral corticosteroids was assessed to minimize the side-effects in actively spreading vitiligo patients. One hundred (100) patients with vitiligo were evaluated. The patients took daily doses of oral prednisolone (0.3 mg/kg body weight) initially as a single oral dose after breakfast for the first 2 months. The dosage was then reduced to half the initial dose during the 3rd month and was halved again for the 4th and final month. After 4 months of treatment, 76% showed repigmentation while the arrest of progression (both repigmentation and stationary) was noted in 90% of patients. Male sex, and patients under 15 years of age showed pronounced repigmentation with statistical significance. According to this study low-dose oral prednisolone is an effective method in preventing progression and inducing repigmentation of fast-spreading vitiligo without the associated serious side-effects.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Dermatology, STD, Community Medicine, Nilratan Sarkar Medical College, Kolkata.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Barbhuiya
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Dey
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Karmakar