title: A therapeutic approach for female, relapsing genital lichen sclerosus: a single-center study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the efficacy of methylprednisolone aceponate 0.1% (MPA 0.1%) in female genital lichen sclerosus (GLS) and efficacy of MPA, tacrolimus or emollient for prevention of flares.
  
  
  METHODS
  A single-center, retrospective study was conducted. At baseline, female patients with relapsing GLS (n = 46) were treated with MPA 0.1% applied once daily for 8 weeks. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score for vulvar pruritus and Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) score were recorded at baseline, weeks 8 and 20. At week 8, patients responsive to treatment (n = 38) were further treated with MPA 0.1% twice weekly (n = 15), tacrolimus once daily (n = 13) or topical emollient once daily (n = 10), as maintenance therapy until week 20.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both VAS and IGA median score was significantly decreased from baseline to week 8 (p = 0.000). At week 20, both median VAS and IGA scores differed significantly between patients treated with emollient and patients treated with MPA 0.1% (p = 0.000) and patients treated with emollient and patients treated with tacrolimus (p = 0.000); patients treated with MPA 0.1% presented no significant difference in either median VAS score (p = 0.032) or median IGA score (p = 0.636) at week 20 compared to patients treated with tacrolimus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MPA 0.1% is effective in relapsing female GLS. MPA 0.1% and tacrolimus have equal efficacy in preventing relapses.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Aristotle University School of Medicine, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Aikaterini
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patsatsi
authors.forename: Aikaterini
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kyriakou
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vavilis
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mantas
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Patsialas
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sotiriadis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004643:Emollients / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018459:Lichen Sclerosus et Atrophicus / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D003879:Dermatologic Agents; D004643:Emollients; C078007:methylprednisolone aceponate; D016559:Tacrolimus; D008775:Methylprednisolone