[Clinical effect of ranitidine in psoriasis. An open prospective study]

We report the results of an open, prospective study of 20 patients with moderate to severe psoriasis (median PASI score: 15.7) treated with oral ranitidine 300 mg twice daily for six months. No other medication was allowed during the study period. The median PASI score was reduced to 14.5, 9.1 and 5.7 after one, three and six months of treatment, respectively (p < 0.00001). A mild to moderate worsening was observed in 15 patients within the first month of treatment, but this was not followed by exclusion from the study, and long-term treatment improved disease status in most patients. Eight patients continued therapy with ranitidine 300 mg twice daily after the study was completed. None of these patients relapsed during a follow-up period of 12-18 months. The results of the present study suggest that ranitidine may be beneficial in the treatment of some patients with psoriasis.