NONINVASIVE EVALUATION OF TOPICAL CALCIPOTRIOL VERSUS CLOBETASOL IN THE TREATMENT OF PSORIASIS

Topical treatment of psoriasis with calcipotriol has been proven effec tive. The efficacy of calcipotriol has been compared to that of topica l corticoids in a number of studies using subjective visual scoring sy stems such as the PASI index. The purpose of this study was to compare , with objective data, the efficacy of calcitriol and clobetasol propi onate 0.05% in the treatment of plaque type psoriasis. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) were used to mon itor restoration of water barrier and normalization of blood flow, res pectively, in psoriatic plaqes of the limbs of 24 male patients during 3 weeks of treatment. Data were compared to subjective evaluation usi ng the PASI index of the same areas. Significant differences were reco rded during treatment in both groups. The results correlated well with the PASI score. Clobetasol was faster in restoring barrier function t han calcipotriol. However, no significant differences were detected be tween the two groups. The use of vitamin analogues may be effective in the topical treatment of psoriasis by normalizing skin biophysical pa rameters and minimizing the risks of side-effects induced by potent to pical corticoids.