Creaming Pemphigoid

Less-frequent clobetasol treatment worked as well as the standard regimen and was safer.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) causes itchy pink plaques and large, tense bullae. It is often treated with systemic corticosteroids, but such treatment has been associated with poor survival. Topical steroids can be useful; earlier research found that high doses of topical clobetasol were even more effective than oral prednisone for controlling BP.

Researchers compared the effectiveness and safety of two topical clobetasol regimens in 335 patients with BP. The primary endpoints were disease control at day 21 and event-free survival (no death from any cause and no life-threatening events) at 1 year.

Patients were randomized to receive a standard-dose or a lower-dose regimen. Standard-therapy recipients applied 20 g of clobetasol propionate 0.005% cre…

Reviewing Author

Mark V. Dahl, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory board Ulthera, Inc.; AuBio LifeSciences, LLC; Paris Therapeutics

Equity Elorac, Inc.; Makucell, Inc.; Paris Therapeutics

Editorial boards UpToDate

Leadership positions in professional societiesNational Rosacea Society (Chairman, Medical Board)