Alitretinoin in twenty-nail dystrophy: case series = Alitretinoin in twenty-nail dystrophy: case series

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Background: Twenty-nail dystrophy (TND) is a condition characterized by longitudinal ridging, pitting, and roughness of the nail surface. It tends to be resistant to various treatment modalities, often leading to clinically unsatisfactory outcome. Alitretinoin (9-cis-retinoic acid; alitoc®) is approved for the patients with severe chronic hand eczema, and has been shown to be effective for other skin diseases. However, there have been few studies demonstrating the efficacy of oral alitretinoin for the treatment of TND.
Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral alitretinoin for the treatment of TND.
Methods: We reviewed the medical records and clinical photographs of patients with TND who were treated with oral alitretinoin. The Physician Global Assessment (PGA) scale was used to assess the degree of nail roughness at 0, 1, 3 and 6 months.
Results: In total, 17 patients were included, and the average age of the patients was 50.9±9.6 years old. The patient group was consisted of 7 male and 10 female. 52% of patients had disease duration of over five years, and three patients had the persisting lesions for more than 19 years. After treatment with 10~30mg/day dose of oral alitretinoin, the PGA score tended to decrease as the number of treatment sessions increases. After 6 months of treatment, the roughness of the lesions improved more than 50% in 66.7% of patients, and over 90% in 16.7% of patients.
Conclusion: Oral alitretinoin may be an effective treatment option for TND.