Premium
Efficacy of different concentrations of ciclopirox shampoo for the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp: Results of a randomized, double‐blind, vehicle‐controlled trial
Author(s) -
Altmeyer Peter,
Hoffmann Klaus
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1111/j.1461-1244.2004.02381.x
Subject(s) - shampoo , medicine , dermatology , seborrheic dermatitis , itching , scalp , randomized controlled trial , dandruff , population , pathology , environmental health
Background Seborrheic dermatitis is a common inflammatory skin disorder affecting 1–3% of the population. It is thought to be linked to dandruff via a common etiology, yeasts of the genus Malassezia. Ciclopirox is a broad‐spectrum, hydroxypyridone‐derived, synthetic antifungal agent with anti‐inflammatory properties. Methods A total of 203 patients were enrolled in this vehicle‐controlled, double‐blind, randomized study designed to compare vehicle with three different concentrations of ciclopirox shampoo: 0.1%, 0.3% and 1%, with each applied twice a week. The main efficacy parameters were based on 6‐point ordinal scales describing the disease's signs and symptoms (scaling, inflammation and itching), global status of disease, and global change in disease. Results A tendency towards improvement of the sum score from baseline was found in all ciclopirox treatment groups. The most pronounced improvement was found in the ciclopirox 1% group, which changed from a baseline sum score of 8.3 to 4.4 at the end of the 4‐week study period ( P ‐value vs. vehicle 0.0372). In addition, the therapeutic index showed increasing efficacy with the use of increased concentrations of ciclopirox. Conclusions The study supports the use of 1% ciclopirox shampoo in the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp. Furthermore, ciclopirox shampoo at each concentration was found to be safe and well tolerated.