FRIDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- A high-potency 0.1 percent fluocinonide cream used once daily for two weeks does not suppress the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in children with severe atopic dermatitis and has similar efficacy compared to twice-daily applications, according to a study in the December issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
Joel Schlessinger, M.D., of the Advanced Skin Research Center in Omaha, Neb., and colleagues conducted an open-label safety and efficacy study of a super-high potency 0.1 percent fluocinonide cream to evaluate HPA axis suppression in pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis over 20 percent or more of the body surface. The cream was applied once or twice daily.
The two youngest cohorts treated with fluocinonide once daily (2 years to 6 years, and 3 months to 2 years) had no HPA axis suppression. One of 15 (7 percent) and two of 16 (12 percent) in the twice-daily group cohorts (12 years to 18 years, and 6 to 12 years, respectively) showed suppression. More than 90 percent of once-daily and twice-daily groups had disease improvement.
"Once-daily treatment with 0.1 percent fluocinonide cream for two weeks does not result in HPA axis suppression under the conditions of this study. Once-daily applications provided similar or better efficacy as twice-daily applications with a lower risk of HPA axis suppression. The frequency of HPA axis suppression is no greater in younger children than in older children," the authors conclude.
Medicis provided funding for the study.
Abstract
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