Cyclosporin maintenance therapy for severe atopic dermatitis.

Twelve patients with chronic severe atopic dermatitis were treated with cyclosporin A (CsA) in a dose of 5.0 mg/kg/day. All patients except one showed a good therapeutic response. After week six, the CsA dose was reduced until an increased activity of atopic dermatitis was noticed (minimal effective dose). The minimal effective dose fluctuated with the severity of the atopic dermatitis. The mean minimal effective dose was approximately 4.0 mg/kg/day. Maintenance therapy with CsA for atopic dermatitis seems to be effective but may be hampered by side effects in the same way as CsA therapy is hampered by side effects in the treatment of psoriasis.