Dermatológia pre prax 3/2011

Tacrolimus in treatment of atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis is chronic relapsing inflammatory disease associated with intensive itching and extremely dry skin. The basic therapy consists of daily application of emollients and keeping from trigger factors. Emollients help improve disturbance of the epidermal barrier. In case of acute inflammatory flare they are combined with topical antiinflammatory agents – corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors. As reported in several studies, topical calcineurin inhibitor tacrolimus ointment proved its effectivity not only during reactive therapy but also during the maintenance therapy. This proactive therapy can reduce acute flares and improve the health quality of the patients with atopic dermatitis.

Keywords: atopic dermatitis, topical immunomodulators, tacrolimus