Pulse Dosing of Thioguanine in Recalcitrant Psoriasis
Nancy G. Silvis, MD;
Norman Levine, MD
Arch Dermatol. 1999;135:433-437.
Background Patients with severe psoriasis may be unresponsive to or unable to tolerate the adverse effects of traditional therapy. Thioguanine has been used to treat psoriasis, but experience is limited. Most previous studies have used daily therapy and have demonstrated significant hematologic abnormalities.
Objective To reduce the adverse effects of traditional thioguanine therapy, our study patients were treated with thioguanine with a pulse-dosing schedule of 2 to 3 times per week.
Observations Marked improvement of recalcitrant psoriasis was noted in 10 (71%) of 14 patients receiving thioguanine therapy using a pulse-dosing schedule. Maintenance dosage ranged from 120 mg twice a week to 160 mg 3 times a week. Adverse effects were minimal.
Conclusions Thioguanine therapy is an effective treatment for recalcitrant psoriasis. A dosing schedule of 2 or 3 times per week is recommended to minimize the potential adverse effects. Routine laboratory follow-up is suggested to screen for potential adverse effects, with special attention to bone marrow suppression.
From the Department of Medicine, Section of Dermatology, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center and the Tucson Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
 CiteULike  Connotea  Del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Technorati  Twitter
What's this?
RELATED ARTICLE
Archives of Dermatology Reader's Choice: Continuing Medical Education
Arch Dermatol. 1999;135(4):480-481.
FULL TEXT
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
Clinical Clearing of Psoriasis by 6-Thioguanine Correlates With Cutaneous T-Cell Depletion via Apoptosis: Evidence for Selective Effects on Activated T Lymphocytes
Murphy et al.
Arch Dermatol 1999;135:1495-1502.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
|
