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Pentoxifylline Effective In Treating HIV-Related Skin Condition SCHAUMBURG, IL -- May 22, 1998 -- A drug used in the treatment of arterial disease has been found to be an effective treatment for pruritic papular eruption (PPE) of HIV-infected persons, according to a study published in the June 1988 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. "Pentoxifylline is a safe and effective treatment of pruritus in HIV-infected patients," said related Brian Berman, M.D., Ph.D., at the University of Miami School of Medicine's department of dermatology and cutaneous surgery. PPE, a severe itchy and pimple-like condition, is a common skin disease associated with HIV infection that appears on the lower extremities. "Pruritus [itching] associated with PPE is severe, unremitting, unresponsive to traditional antipruritic medicine and often incapacitating by making patients unable to sleep," Dr. Berman explained. Eleven of the original 12 patients completing the eight-week study were placed on a regimen of oral pentoxifylline. The degree of pruritis, both before and after therapy, was measured by a patient-reported analog scale, ranging from 0 (none) to 10 (worst experienced). A global assessment of the number and size of PPE lesions was performed and serum TNF and triglyceride levels, as well as HIV viral load, were measured. Results include a reduction in pruritis for 10 of the 11 patients, ranging from 22.6 percent to 87.3 percent and the global assessment of PPE lesions decreased from baseline in most patients and increased slightly in one individual. "Future controlled studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of this treatment," he noted. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version