Therapeutic Effectiveness of Various Treatments for Eosinophilic Pustular Folliculitis

Abstract

Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis is a rare dermatosis. Recently, in addition to oral indomethacin, other treatments have been applied for eosinophilic pustular folliculitis. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of various therapies encompassing conventional to newly applied drugs for eosinophilic pustular folliculitis. Twenty patients with eosinophilic pustular folliculitis seen in our department were investigated. The effectiveness of each treatment was assessed by a severity score index. Eleven patients were treated with oral indomethacin, and the severity scores of all patients were decreased after the treatment. Oral cyclosporine was markedly effective in all 11 patients treated, and topical tacrolimus ointment alleviated eosinophilic pustular folliculitis in 3 of 7 with one patient showing a remarkable reduction in the severity score. In addition to indomethacin or other oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, oral cyclosporine and topical tacrolimus may be beneficial choices when patients have been resistant to previous treatments.