Treatment of psoriasis: role of calcipotriene.

Psoriasis, a common skin disorder, affects over 1 percent of the population of the United States. The majority of these patients have limited disease that can be managed with topical therapy. Topical treatment includes corticosteroids, tar, anthralin and keratolytic agents. Calcipotriene, a new topical treatment for psoriasis of mild to moderate severity, is a vitamin D derivative that inhibits epidermal cell proliferation in vitro. Treatment with calcipotriene results in decreased redness, scaling and thickness of the plaque. Calcipotriene is comparable to mid-potency topical corticosteroids in efficacy, but it does not cause skin atrophy and apparently does not lead to tachyphylaxis. Irritant dermatitis is a common side effect of calcipotriene, especially when it is applied to the face. Careful patient monitoring is recommended because alterations in calcium metabolism have been reported to occur with use of calcipotriene.