TREATMENT OF ECZEMA WITH A MIXTURE OF TRIAMCINOLONE ACETONIDE AND RETINOIC ACID - A DOUBLE-BLIND-STUDY

Dermo-epidermal atrophy is one of the main side effects of long-term t reatment with topical corticosteroids (TC). Retinoic acid (RA) may pre vent and even reverse these effects in animals. It has been previously established that topical RA (TRA) does not inhibit corticosteroid-ind uced vasoconstriction in humans, thus suggesting that RA, combined wit h TC, does not interfere with its anti-inflammatory property. The next step was to test this association in patients with inflammatory skin disorders. In this symmetrical double-blind study, triamcinolone aceto nide (TA) cream 0.1% and a cream containing TA 0.1% plus RA 0.025% (TA RA) were compared in 18 subjects with eczema. No statistical differenc e between both treatments was observed after 1, 2 and 3 weeks, althoug h on the TARA-treated sides the anti-inflammatory responses were sligh tly less pronounced. Subjective irritation was significantly more freq uent in TARA-treated side (3/17, p = 0.05) but did not lead to interru ption of the treatment. This indicates that addition of RA 0.025% to a medium-range potency topical steroid does not abrogate the anti-infla mmatory property of the latter and that the association can be tolerat ed by inflamed skin.