EFFICACY OF CYCLOSPORINE PLUS ETRETINATE IN THE TREATMENT OF ERYTHRODERMIC PSORIASIS (3 CASE-REPORTS)

Background Association of different treatments are often used in eryth rodermic psoriasis in order to increase the effectiveness and decrease the incidence of side effects due to single drugs. Materials and meth ods Three in-patients affected by erythrodermic psoriasis, not respond ing to cyclosporine, (two patients) and etretinate, (one patient), wer e treated with the association cyclosporine plus etretinate. Results C linical response was prompt to the combined therapy. The two drugs wer e tapering off gradually over 6 months; the patients maintained the re mission for prolonged period. Conclusions Combined cyclosporine-etreti nate therapy may be considered as an effective and well tolerated trea tment of erythrodermic psoriasis in patients not responding to monothe rapy regimen. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.