A prospective study of atopic dermatitis managed without topical corticosteroids for a 6-month period

Abstract

Mototsugu Fukaya,1 Kenji Sato,2 Takahiro Yamada,2 Mitsuko Sato,3 Shigeki Fujisawa,4 Satoko Minaguchi,5 Hajime Kimata,6 Haruhiko Dozono7 1Tsurumai Kouen Clinic, Nagoya, 2Department of Dermatology, Hannan Chuo Hospital, 3Sato Pediatric Clinic, Osaka, 4Fujisawa Dermatology Clinic, Tokyo, 5Ageofutatsunomiya Clinic, Saitama, 6Kimata Hajime Clinic, Osaka, 7Dozono Medical House, Kagoshima, Japan Abstract: Topical corticosteroids (TCS) are regarded as the mainstay treatment for atopic dermatitis (AD). As AD has a tendency to heal naturally, the long-term efficacy of TCS in AD management should be compared with the outcomes seen in patients with AD not using TCS. However, there are few long-term studies that consider patients with AD not using TCS. We designed a prospective multicenter cohort study to assess the clinical outcomes in patients with AD who did not use TCS for 6 months and then compared our results with an earlier study by Furue et al which considered AD patients using TCS over 6 months. Our patients’ clinical improvement was comparable with the patients described in Furue’s research. In light of this, it is reasonable for physicians to manage AD patients who decline TCS, as the expected long-term prognosis is similar whether they use TCS or not. Keywords: atopic dermatitis, topical corticosteroids, topical steroid addiction

Keywords

• atopic dermatitis
• topical corticosteroids
• topical steroid addiction