Topical corticosteroids are used as first-line treatment for atopic dermatitis (AD). Regarding the maintenance of remission achieved by topical corticosteroids, no previous studies have compared proactive therapy with rank-down therapy. We compared their efficacy and safety in Japanese children with moderate to severe AD. Patients who had achieved remission with a very strong topical corticosteroid were randomized to 4-week maintenance treatment with either intermittent use of the same drug (proactive therapy) or daily use of a strong topical corticosteroid for 1 week followed by daily use of a medium-potency topical corticosteroid for 3 weeks (rank-down therapy); 49 patients were randomized (proactive therapy, n = 24; rank-down therapy, n = 25). During maintenance treatment, the relapse rate was 8.33% in the proactive therapy group and 20.0% in the rank-down therapy group (p = 0.0859). The mean (±standard deviation) itching score on a numerical rating scale in the rank-down therapy group increased significantly from 2.5 ± 1.9 to 3.6 ± 2.6 (p = 0.0438). Adverse events occurred in 2 patients receiving proactive therapy and 3 patients receiving rank-down therapy. Proactive therapy appears to be as safe as rank-down therapy and may be more effective for itch in pediatric AD in remission.
Keywords: atopic dermatitis; pediatric; proactive therapy; rank-down therapy; topical corticosteroids.