Calcipotriol in vitiligo: a preliminary study

A large variety of therapeutic agents have been tried for the treatment of vitiligo, but psoralens continue to be the main treatment. Twenty-one patients age 5 to 17 years with vitiligo were enrolled in this study. The children were advised to apply calcipotriol 50 microg/g in the evening and expose themselves to sunlight the next day for 10 to 15 minutes. The patients were followed at 3-week intervals. Initial repigmentation occurred in the majority of children after 6 to 12 weeks of treatment. Marked to complete repigmentation was seen in 10 of 18 patients. Four patients showed moderate improvement while the remaining four patients showed minimal or no improvement. No patient developed new lesions. The repigmentation was cosmetically excellent in the majority of children. All patients tolerated the calcipotriol well except for three patients who complained of mild irritation on application. All of the laboratory investigations, including serum calcium levels remained normal. The rationale for this study originated from recent advances in the understanding of vitiligo at the molecular level. Furthermore, development of hyperpigmentation in patients with psoriasis receiving treatment with PUVA and calcipotriol has been observed. Our results are encouraging and offer a new and potentially efficacious treatment for this pigmentation disorder in children.