Patient attitudes to topical antipsoriatic treatment with calcipotriol anddithranol

Objective Assessment of patient preference for antipsoriatic treatment with calcipotriol ointment or short-contact dithranol cream. Methods Two hundred and fifty-eight psoriatic patients treated with calcipo triol (n = 138) or dithranol (n = 120) for up to 3 months, assessed the acc eptability of treatment, overall satisfaction with treatment, their treatme nt preference using the 'willingness to pay' principle and selected their t reatment of choice. Results Overall satisfaction with calcipotriol was significantly better (72 .7%, dithranol 60.3%; odds ratio 1.75, 95% CI 1.03, 2.99: P = 0.04). Patien ts considered calcipotriol a more acceptable treatment than dithranol in it s appearance, smell, non-irritancy, method and ease of application and lack of staining. Dithranol was considered less sticky than calcipotriol. Patie nts were 'willing to pay' a mean of pound 12.16 monthly for calcipotriol an d pound 10.66 monthly for dithranol. 'Willingness to pay' did not correlate well with overall treatment satisfaction and was not correlated with house hold income. Calcipotriol was the preferred treatment of choice (calcipotri ol 63%, dithranol 24%). Conclusion Patients with psoriasis prefer treatment with calcipotriol ointm ent over short-contact dithranol cream.