COMPARATIVE EFFICACY OF 0.1% TACROLIMUS VERSUS 0.1% MOMETASONE FUROATE OINTMENT IN THE TREATMENT OF FACIAL VITILIGO: A SPLIT-FACE RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL IN A PAKISTANI POPULATION

Abstract

Background:
Vitigalo is a chronic pigmentation disorder that occurs and causes a lot of psychosocial distress and particularly the exposed areas of the body such as the face. The problem is optimal management in spite of the available various therapies. The topical corticosteroids that are commonly used are mometasone furoate and calcineurin inhibitors, such as tacrolimus. However, South Asian populations are not much compared.

Objective:

The objective of the research was to establish the efficacy and safety of 0.1% tacrolimus ointment and 0.1% mometasone furoate ointment to use in the treatment of facial vitiligo by using split-face randomized design.

Methods:

They recruited 50 adults (1850 years) with non-segmental bilateral facial vitiligo and randomly divided them into two groups and had a prospective, split-face trial in Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi. The patients were treated with twofold per day applications of six months of 0.1 percent tacrolimus ointment and 0.1 percent mometasone furoate ointment to each of the four sides of the face of the patients. Standardized repigmentation scale assessed the results of the treatment and were processed using SPSS v 21.0 with p-value below.05 as significant.

Results:

Both treatments were also significant (p <.05) when it comes to repigmentation. Areas treated with tacrolimus had 60 percent versus 46 percent repigmentation which was reported to be ≥75 percent. Four percent cases of mometasone reported minor erythema and none of the cases treated with tacrolimus adverse events. Altogether, tacrolimus turned out to be a bit more efficient and safer profile-wise.

Conclusion:

Topical agents are preferable in both cases and tacrolimus is safe in the long term with no induced steroid cutaneous atrophy. These data support the use of tacrolimus in the first line of the treatment of sensitive parts of the face.