Oral Mini‐pulse Therapy With Betamethasone in Vitiligo Patients Having Extensive or Fast‐spreading Disease

Abstract

Oral mini-pulse therapy with betamethasone/dexamethasone seems to be an effective treatment modality to arrest the progression of vitiligo. It also induces spontaneous repigmentation. It deserves to be tried on a large scale to evaluate its advantages over the currently available methods of treatment.

Efficacy of Oral Mini Pulse Betamethasone in the Treatment of Vitiligo

“…6 The side effects by Pasricha et al included weight gain of 5 and 7 kg in two patients, mild headache in two patients, transitory general weakness for 2 days after the pulse in two patients, and bad tastes in the mouth in three patients, 23 patients, including six children, had no side effects. 7 In the study by Amir Habib et al twenty-one (70%) patients reported one or more side effects such as epigastria burning or pain, bloating, weight gain,. Insomnia, acne and menstrual by the study Kim et al 9 Plasma cortisol levels were markedly decreased 48 hours after the second oral mini pulse betamethasone.…”

“…Systemic steroids may also prduce unaccepatable side effects. 5,7 To minimize the side effects, we tried a new approach using oral mini pulse betamethasone in vitiligo patients. …”

Role of Corticosteroids in Treatment of Vitiligo

“…They also showed that this dose of prednisolone had no side effect (Kim et al, 1999). In other study, Pasricha and Khaitan showed that oral mini pulse treatment with betamethasone (5 mg as a single oral dose on 2 consecutive days per week) was effective to arrest the vitiligo progression and induce repigmentation (Pasricha & Khaitan, 1993).On the other hand, Rath and colleagues in one study showed that oral minipulse betamethasone (0.1 mg/kg body weigh twice weekly on two consecutive days) had only adjunct value and had no efficacy by itself (Rath, 2008).…”

Treatment Options in Progressive Childhood Vitiligo

“…Re-pigmentation is achieved as early as 4 weeks of treatment. Pasricha et al [9] Beta-methasone 5mg/day 2days a week 89 80 22.5 40…”