title: Low-dose acitretin in treatment of plaque-type psoriasis: descriptive study of efficacy and safety.
abstract: The efficacy and safety of acitretin was evaluated retrospectively in a cohort of 46 patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) range 10-42). Patients were treated at an initial dose of 10 mg/day acitretin, which was then gradually increased until the best therapeutic effect with the fewest adverse effects was reached (< 50 mg/day) and later decreased and maintained at the lowest effective dosage. Efficacy measures were: (i) PASI75 (75% improvement) and PASI50 between 10 and 16 weeks; and (ii) PASI75 even after 16 weeks of treatment. At weeks 10-16, PASI75 and PASI50 were achieved by 47.8% and 87% of the patients, respectively. Overall, 67.3% reached PASI75. Adverse events occurred in 18 patients (39.1%); among these, 4 (8.7%) discontinued acitretin. Our findings suggest that acitretin at an initial low, gradually escalating dose, and subsequently maintained at the minimal effective dose, is a suitable treatment option for plaque psoriasis as it provides clear-cut improvement in most treated patients while minimizing the risks of side-effects.
authors: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Dermatology, University of Ferrara, Via Savonarola 9, I-44121 Ferrara, Italy. alessandro.borghi@unife.it.
authors: Alessandro
authors: A
authors: Borghi
authors: Monica
authors: M
authors: Corazza
authors: Alberto Maria
authors: AM
authors: Bertoldi
authors: Francesca
authors: F
authors: Caroppo
authors: Annarosa
authors: A
authors: Virgili
mesh_terms: D017255:Acitretin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007641:Keratolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012074:Remission Induction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007641:Keratolytic Agents; D017255:Acitretin