AUTHOR=Binsaleh Ammena Y. , Bahaa Mostafa M. , Elmasry Thanaa A. , Elberri Eman I. , Kotkata Fedaa A. , El-Khateeb Eman , Kamal Marwa , El-samongy Marwa Ahmed , Hamouda Amir O. , Alghamdi Amira M. , Alrubia Sarah , Salahuddin Muhammed M. , Eltantawy Nashwa 

TITLE=A randomized controlled trial comparing tacrolimus versus hydrocortisone for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in children: new perspectives on interferon gamma-induced protein and growth-related oncogene-α

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2024.1399305

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2024.1399305

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a type of chronic inflammatory disorder that affects children.</p></sec><sec><title>Aim</title><p>To investigate whether hydrocortisone or tacrolimus could be more effective for treating AD in children.</p></sec><sec><title>Patients and methods</title><p>This clinical randomized investigation included 100 children with AD who met the eligibility criteria. AD patients were recruited from Tanta University’s Dermatology Department and divided into two groups (<italic>n</italic> = 50)., For four months, group 1 (the hydrocortisone group) received topical hydrocortisone cream. Group 2 received topical tacrolimus for four months. A dermatologist evaluated the patients at the start and four months after the treatment had been initiated to measure serum concentrations of neutrophil chemoattractant growth-related oncogene-α (GRO-α), interferon gamma induced protein 10 (IP-10), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), vascular adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1). All patients were examined using the modified Eczema Area and Severity Index (mEASI) score.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Tacrolimus group showed a significant reduction in serum levels of all measured biomarkers (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) when compared to its baseline and when compared to the hydrocortisone group. Both groups displayed a significant decline in mEASI score in comparison with their baseline values (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>In children with AD, tacrolimus reduces inflammatory biomarkers better than hydrocortisone, suggesting its potential as a more effective treatment option.</p></sec><sec><title>Clinical trial registration</title><p><ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://clinicaltrials.gov" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">https://clinicaltrials.gov</ext-link>, identifier NCT05607901.</p></sec>