Topical vitamin D analogs available to treat psoriasis.
Psoriasis is a chronic and currently incurable inflammatory skin disease, affecting 2% to 3% of the US population. The cost of care in the United States for hospitalizations, outpatient physician visits, phototherapy, prescription therapies, and over-the-counter medications is estimated to be more than $650 million per year. Guidelines developed by the American Academy of Dermatology in 2009 state that approximately 80% of these patients with psoriasis have mild to moderate disease that can be managed with topical agents, including corticosteroids and vitamin D analogs. Topical vitamin D analogs provide "steroid-sparing" effects and a favorable safety profile. Many experts, including a recent consensus conference, classify topical vitamin D agents as first-line therapy for psoriasis either as monotherapy or in combination with topical steroids due to a synergistic, complementary effectiveness. Vitamin D analogs are an indispensable component of the current physician's armamentarium for psoriasis treatment. This review, therefore, is oriented to give a comprehensive understanding of this group of drugs and display the available clinical data for each formulation.
Dermatology Treatment and Research Center, 5310 Harvest Hill Road, Suite 160, Dallas, TX 75230, USA. dr.oquendo@gmail.com
Marcial
M
Oquendo
William
W
Abramovits
Peter
P
Morrell
D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D003879:Dermatologic Agents; D014807:Vitamin D