Oiso, N., Suzuki, T., Wataya-Kaneda, M., Tanemura, A., Tanioka, M., Fujimoto, T., Fukai, K., Kawakami, T., Tsukamoto, K., Yamaguchi, Y., Sano, S., Mitsuhashi, Y., Nishigori, C., Morita, A., Nakagawa, H., Mizoguchi, M. and Katayama, I. (2013) Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitiligo in Japan. Journal of Dermatology, 40, 1-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1346-8138.12099

has been cited by the following article:

• TITLE: Preliminary Colorimetric Assessment of Progressive Nonsegmental Vitiligo under Short-Term Intravenous Methylprednisolone Pulse Therapy

  AUTHORS: Yuiko Nagata, Atsushi Tanemura, Emi Ono, Aya Tanaka, Kenichi Kato, Mizuho Yamada, Ichiro Katayama

  KEYWORDS: Intravenous Methylprednisolone Pulse Therapy, Progressive Nonsegmental Vitiligo, Spectrophotometer

  JOURNAL NAME: Journal of Cosmetics, Dermatological Sciences and Applications, Vol.4 No.3, May 16, 2014

  ABSTRACT: Although the administration of systemic steroid for nonsegmental vitiligo in the progressive stage is a recommended treatment according to guidelines, the clinical efficacy of this regimen has not been fully established. In this study, we evaluated the clinical efficacy of half-dose steroid treatment and stratified the evidence regarding its usefulness in progressive vitiligo patients. Half-dose steroid pulse therapy (500 mg/day of methylprednisolone for three sequential days) was administered intravenously three times monthly in five vitiligo patients. The visual changes in vitiligo lesions were evaluated on photographs and quantified using a spectrophotometer. As results, all patients completed three cycles of treatment without severe adverse events. Three of the five patients achieved disease arrest with decrease in white contrast. Therefore, short-term and halfdose steroid therapy is well tolerated and effective for achieving disease arrest in progressive nonsegmental vitiligo. The whiteness assessed by a spectrophotometer is possibly associated with therapeutic response to steroid therapy.