[Safety and efficacy of treatment for severe atopic dermatitis with cyclosporin A and transfer factor].

BACKGROUND

The atopic dermatitis is a chronic skin disease that appears in patients with a personal or family history of allergic asthma and rhinitis. It is associated to the specific activation of a gene group. In most instances, the response to the conventional treatment is adequate. The are cases, though, know as refractory, where that is not the case. The study of two therapeutic alternatives, Transfer Factor (TF) and Cyclosporin A (CyA), was elaborated for this type of patients.

METHODS

Patients with severe refractory AD were studied, being admitted to the Allergic Service to the ISSSTE Lic. Adolfo López Mateos, ISSSTE, between September 1997 and june 1998. They were randomly divided in two groups. The first one was subjected to CyA, on a 4 mg/kg/day dosage, with monthly surveillance of kidney and hepatic functions and blood pressure twice a week. Group two was subjected to TF, as follows: one unit every third day for the first week, two units per week for the next three weeks and one monthly unit to complete six months. Initial and final clinical and immunologic testing was performed on both groups (eosinophils, total IgE, CD4 and CD8).

RESULTS

Six patients included group A, and 12 patients in group B. Both groups showed a significant statistic reduction in the total eosinophils count, without an statistic difference between them. None showed changes in the total IgE. CyA reduced the CD4 levels, while the TF increased the levels of CD8 cells, both with a p < 0.05. Both groups showed clinical improvement satistically significant, but no differences with a p > 0.05 appeared between them. Tolerance to the treatments was adequate, and there was not need to suspend the treatment in any case. Only three patients showed hypertricosis and other one presented headaches, with CyA.

CONCLUSIONS

Both treatments showed therapeutic benefits in the treatment of patients with severe refractory AD, with similar immunologic improvement. Both drugs present different action mechanisms, so their joint application could offer clinical benefit to the patient (synergetic action), cost reduction, and long term treatments with reduced adverse effects.