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Acitretin Therapy May Help Reduce Nail Psoriasis Symptoms CHICAGO -- March 16, 2009 -- Low-dose acitretin therapy appears to reduce nail psoriasis symptoms, according to a study published in the March issue of Archives of Dermatology. Antonella Tosti, MD, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, and colleagues evaluated the effectiveness of acitretin 0.2 mg to 0.3 mg per kg per day for 6 months on the nails of 36 patients (27 male, mean age 41 years) who had psoriasis involving only the nails. Researchers used the Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI) to grade the severity of the condition. Higher NAPSI scores indicated more severely affected nails. Patients were followed up for at least 6 months after treatment. "The mean percentages of reduction of the NAPSI score and modified NAPSI score were 41% and 50%" the authors wrote. "Clinical evaluation at 6 months showed complete or almost complete clearing of the nail lesions in 9 patients (25%), moderate improvement in 9 (25%), mild improvement in 12 (33%) and no improvement in 6 (11%)." "Only 1 of the 36 patients experienced adverse effects on the nail during treatment," the authors noted. All participants whose condition improved did not return to pre-treatment conditions. "Although more studies are required to thoroughly assess the effectiveness in larger controlled subject populations, our observations suggest that low-dose systemic acitretin should be considered in the therapeutic armamentarium in the treatment of nail psoriasis," the authors concluded. SOURCE: Archives of Dermatology E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version