Clinical Trial of Chronic Hand Eczema with Topical Tarcrolimus Ointment

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of topical Tarcrolimus ointment 0.1% in patients suffering from chronic hand eczema.Methods:28 patients were treated with topical Tarcrolimus ointment 0.1% twice daily;evening applications were immediately followed by overnight occlusion(≥6 h).Efficacy was evaluated by the use of a standardized hand eczema score and by clinical severity rating,conducted on all study visits(baseline and weeks 1,2,4 and 6).Meanwhile the adverse events were recorded.Results:26 of 28 cases completed the whole course of treatment.The hand eczema score declined significantly after 2 weeks of treatment when compared with baseline and further declined until the end of the study.Finally,12(46.2%)patients were clear of hand eczema.Clinical grading indicated improvement too.Local irritation adverse events such as burning sensation(15.4%)and pruritus(11.5%)were common but all these adverse events were transient.Conclusion:Tarcrolimus ointment 0.1% may be a safe and efective treatment option for the patients with chronic hand eczema.