Calcipotriene

Topical antipsoriatics are drugs used in the treatment of psoriasis (a chronic skin disease manifested by bright red patches covered with silvery scales or plaques). These drug help remove tiie plaques associated with this disorder. Examples of antipsoriatics include antiiralin (Anthra-Derm) and calcipotriene (Dovonex). 

These drug are contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to the drug. Antiiralin and calcipotriene are Pregnancy Category C drug and are used cautiously during pregnancy and lactation. 

Adults older than 65 years have more diin-related adverse reactions to calcipotriene. The nurse should use catdpotriene cautiously in older adults... 

Calcipotriene (Dovonex) is a synthetic vitamin D analog used for mild to moderate plaque psoriasis. Improvement is usually seen within 2 weeks of treatment, and approximately 70% of patients demonstrate marked improvement after 8 weeks. Adverse effects occur in about 10% of patients and include lesional and perilesional burning and stinging. Calcipotriene 0.005% cream, ointment, or solution is applied one or two times a day (no more than 100 g/wk). 

UVB light (290 to 320 nm) therapy is an important phototherapeutic intervention for psoriasis. The most effective wavelength is 310 to 315 nm, which led to development of a UVB narrowband light source, in which 83% of the UVB emission is at 310 to 313 nm. Topical and systemic psoriatic therapies are used adj unctively to hasten and improve the response to UVB phototherapy. Emollients enhance efficacy of UVB and can be applied just before treatments. Combining short-contact anthralin, calcipotriene, or topical retinoids to UVB may also improve results. However, topical application should be done after or at least 2 hours before UVB therapy because phototherapy can inactivate the topical product. UVB phototherapy may also be more effective when added to systemic treatments such as methotrexate and oral retinoids. 

Calcipotriene (Dovonex), a synthetic vitamin D3 derivative, is indicated for the treatment of moderate plaque psoriasis. Its mechanism of action is unknown, although it competes for calcitriol receptors on keratinocytes and normalizes differentiation. It also has a variety of immunomodulatory effects in the skin. Although the drug can cause local irritation, the most serious toxicities are hypercalciuria and hypercalcemia, which are usually reversible. 

Contraindications Hypercalcemia or evidence of vitamin D toxicity, use on face, hypersensitivity to calcipotriene or any component of the formulation... 

Initial therapy consisting of twice daily applications of a medium strength topical corticosteroid combined with once daily topical calcipotriene should provide adequate control for this patient s localized psoriasis. A coal tar shampoo should be initiated for her scalp psoriasis with nightly application of a corticosteroid solution to recalcitrant plaques. 

Dovonex (calcipotriene solution) scalp solution 0.005%, is a colorless topical solution containing 0.005% calcipotriene in a vehicle of isopropanol (51% v/v) propylene... 

Plague psoriasis treatment Calcipotriene Dovonex Cetearyl alcohol, Ceteth-20 Diazolidinyl urea, dichlorobenzyl alcohol... 

Treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis Treatment of plaque psoriasis Calcipotriene Dovonex White petrolatum, propylene glycol, fatty alcohol citrate fatty acid pentaerythritol ester, beeswax... 

Lebwohl M, Yoles A, Lombardi K and Lou W (1998) Calcipotriene ointment and halobet-asol ointment in the long-term treatment of psoriasis Effects on the duration of improvement. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 39 447—450. 

Cadherin prritein, mutations and canrer, 880,905-907 Cadmium, 807 Cadmiuns toxidty, 811 Calcipotriene, 585 Calcitonirt, 775 Calcium... 

Vitamin D has recently found an association with psoriasis, a common disease of the skin. Psoriasis is not curable, but a variety of skin ointments can reduce the severity of the skin lesions. One of these ointments is a chemical analogue of vitamin D called calcipotriene. Calcipotriene was developed after initial observations that oral or topical calcitriol was effective against the disease. The drug results in improvement in 60% of patients (Greaves and Weinstein, 1995). 

Caldpotriene. Calcipotriene. (la.3j3.SZ7 .22 .245l-24-cyclopropyl-9.IO-secochola-.5.7.IO(l9).22-teuaene-l,3. 24-triul. calciputriol (Dovonex). is a. synthetic vitamin D< analogue indicated for topical application in the treatment of moderate plaque psoriasis. It has the same affinity for the vitamin D receptor as calcitriol. but its effect on calcium metabolism is 100 to 200 times less. Calcipotriene inhibits epidermal cell proliferation and enhances cell differentia-... 

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