Ledo A, Martín M, Geiger J M, Marrón J M
Department of Dermatology, Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain.
Int J Dermatol. 1988 Nov;27(9):656-60. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-4362.1988.tb02429.x.
A randomized double-blind parallel trial comparing acitretin and etretinate was performed in 20 patients with severe psoriasis during a treatment period of 12 weeks. The initial dose was 30 mg/day for 4 weeks, and the mean dose at the end of the study was slightly lower in the acitretin group when compared to the etretinate group (30.7 mg/day and 33.4 mg/day, respectively). Follow-up examinations were carried out every 2 weeks, and the efficacy of treatment was evaluated by using the PASI score. Percentage improvement in the PASI score was 50% at week 10 in both groups, and the difference between them at week 12 was insignificant. Both quantitatively and qualitatively, acitretin and etretinate do not significantly differ.
