title: Pimecrolimus 1% cream for the treatment of rosacea.
abstract: Rosacea is a common inflammatory skin disorder; the pathogenesis is unclear. Various treatment options for rosacea are available, but most have limited effectiveness. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of 1% pimecrolimus cream for the treatment of rosacea. Thirty patients with rosacea were enrolled in this 4-week, single-center, open-label study of 1% pimecrolimus cream. Patients were instructed to apply the cream to their faces twice daily and were not permitted to use any other agents. Clinical efficacy was evaluated by a rosacea grading system using photographic documentation and a mexameter. The 26 patients who completed the study experienced significantly reduced rosacea clinical scores from 9.65 ± 1.79 at baseline to 7.27 ± 2.11 at the end of treatment (P < 0.05). The mexameter-measured erythema index decreased significantly from 418.54 ± 89.56 at baseline to 382.23 ± 80.04 at week 4 (P < 0.05). The side-effects were mostly transient local irritations. The results of this study suggest that 1% pimecrolimus cream is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for patients with mild to moderate inflammatory rosacea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Moon-Bum
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Gun-Wook
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyun-Je
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hoon-Soo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyun-Woo
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.forename: Su-Han
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Byung-Soo
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyun-Chang
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Ko
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D065095:Calcineurin Inhibitors; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012393:Rosacea / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D065095:Calcineurin Inhibitors; D003879:Dermatologic Agents; C117268:pimecrolimus; D016559:Tacrolimus