Background: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is increasingly being used by dermatologists to treat various skin conditions, but limited evidence exists regarding its efficacy.
Objective: To evaluate safety and efficacy of MMF in the treatment of dermatological conditions.
Methods: A retrospective chart review of all the dermatology patients treated with MMF between October 1999 and July 2008 at a university-based teaching hospital in Australia.
Results: Sixty-nine patients included 43 females (62%) and 26 males. Nineteen patients (27%) achieved complete remission (CR) and 14 (20%) had no response to therapy. The average duration of treatment was 18.4 months and the mean daily dose was 2 g. Thirty-two patients (47%) experienced side effects, though most were mild. Factors influencing response to MMF were studied, and older age (p=0.005), diagnosis (p=0.008) and duration of treatment (p=0.02) were found significant. In a multivariate analysis, only the diagnosis remained statistically significant. There was a differential response to MMF between the various dermatological disorders studied. Complete response was achieved in 56%, 53% and 46% of the patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), immunobullous disorders and neutrophilic dermatoses, respectively, while none of the patients with psoriasis achieved CR.
Conclusion: Our study shows that MMF is more effective in AD and immunobullous disorders than in psoriasis and pyoderma gangrenosum.
Keywords: Atopic dermatitis; immunobullous disorders; mycophenolate mofetil; neutrophilic dermatoses; psoriasis.