The effect of acitretin on moderate to severe plaque psoriasis

Objective: To study the effect of acitretin on moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Methods: Patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis were divided into two groups randomly. One group was treated with acitretin, the another with traditional Chinese medicine (Chinese flowering crabapple mixture) for 8 weeks. The effects of two kinds of drugs were assessed by psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) and dermatology life quality index (DLQI). Results: After treatment, the PASI and DLQI scores decreased significantly in both groups (P 0.01). However, there were no significant differences in response rates of PASI and DLQI between two groups, and also in PASI50 and PASI75 response rates (P 0.05). Conclusion: Acitretin is effective for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.