Scalp Psoriasis: Systematic Review Comparing Topical Treatments and Placebo

Abstract

Patients with scalp psoriasis suffered from a lower quality of life relating to the highly visible site of their psoriatic lesions. In consequence this fact stimulates investigations involving treatments of this dermatologic disease. The aim of this review is to evaluate the topical treatments for scalp psoriasis compared with placebos. Methods: A systematic review was performed using searches in the database LILACS, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Embase. As selection criteria were chosen eligible publications involving randomized controlled trials, patients with scalp psoriasis diagnosed clinically or by biopsy, interventions with topical treatments for scalp psoriasis compared with placebo. Outcome related to the reduction in severity of psoriasis of the scalp, assessed by physicians and patients, and assessment of adverse effects that required discontinuation of treatment. The results have shown that the patients were aged 12 to 97 years, including 3441 patients. Ten of the fifteen studies included reported gender data. Patients were mostly female. Twelve studies were about psoriasis’s severity. These studies in which the severity has been described, the classification of severity was mild (0 study), mild to moderate (1 study), moderate to severe (11 studies) and severe (0 study). In conclusion, topical corticosteroids, calcipotriol, ciclopirox olamine and associations between them are effective in the treatment of scalp psoriasis. Clobetasol propionate (0.05%) was the most effective active ingredient in several vehicles in the induction treatment of scalp psoriasis.