title: Oral doxycycline reduces pterygium lesions; results from a double blind, randomized, placebo controlled clinical trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether oral doxycycline treatment reduces pterygium lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Double blind, randomized, placebo controlled clinical trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  98 adult patients with primary pterygium.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were randomly assigned to receive 100 mg oral doxycycline twice a day (49 subjects), or placebo (49 subjects), for 30 days. Photographs of the lesion were taken at the time of recruitment and at the end of the treatment. Follow-up sessions were performed 6 and 12 months post-treatment. Statistical analyses for both continuous and categorical variables were applied. p values of less than 0.05 were considered to indicate statistical significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  The primary endpoint was the change in lesion size after 30 days of treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The primary endpoint was not met for the whole population but subgroup analysis showed that doxycycline was effective in patients of Caucasian origin while other ethnicities, mostly Hispanic, did not respond to the treatment. Moreover, there was a correlation between age and better response (p = 0.003). Adverse events were uncommon, mild, and in agreement with previous reports on short doxycycline treatments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oral doxycycline was superior to placebo for the treatment of primary pterygia in older Caucasian patients. These findings support the use of doxycycline for pterygium treatment in particular populations.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  European Union Clinical Trials Register EudraCT 2008-007178-39.
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Service, Hospital San Pedro, Logroño, Spain.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rúa
authors.forename: Ignacio M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Larráyoz
authors.forename: María T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Barajas
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Velilla
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011625:Pterygium / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004318:Doxycycline