The use of levamisole in atopic dermatitis: a prospective study

Levamisole hydrochloride, a nonspecific immunostimulant, was given to 30 children with atopic dermatitis (AD) in a double-blind manner during an eight-month period. Clinical course findings, including intradermal reactions to tuberculin, candidin, and streptokinase-streptodernase; sensitization to dinitrochlorobenzene; periphal blood T- and B-lymphocytes; in vitro lymphocyte transformation with phytohemagglutinin; and serum levels of IgM, IgG, IgA, and IgE, were noted every two months. Fifteen children completed the study. Neither the clinical course nor the immunologic values showed substantial differences between the levamisole-treated and the placebo group. Our experience with levamisole in AD is disappointing.