Dose ranging study: cetirizine in the treatment of atopic dermatitis in adults.

One hundred seventy-eight adults with atopic dermatitis were included in this double-blind, parallel, randomized study where the effects of placebo, and cetirizine, 10, 20, and 40 mg administered daily during 4 weeks were measured. Local rescue therapy, which consisted of emollients and 1% hydrocortisone, was permitted and patients in all four groups used it in the same regular way. Severity of atopic dermatitis was measured via the following parameters: pruritus (visual analog scales used by both the investigator and patients), four point scale (absent, slight, moderate and serious) symptom scores for erythema, vesicles, excoriation, and lichenification in 14 body areas and a final visit assessment of the patient's general condition. The patient's quality of sleep was also measured along with standard blood chemistry tests. Adverse events during the study were recorded as well. In total 127 patients were assessed for efficacy. A statistically significant (P < or = .05) improvement was observed in all therapeutic groups for the following parameters: erythema, excoriation, lichenification, total symptom score, area involved, and pruritus. Cetirizine showed a dose-related improvement in the following parameters measured: erythema, lichenification, total symptom score, area involved, final assessment, and pruritus (measured by the patient at each visit). At 40 mg, cetirizine was significantly (P < or = .05) more effective than placebo for these parameters. At 20 mg, this was true only for pruritus (measured by the patient at each visit).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)