Corticosteroid minipulses

Abstract

Pulse therapy refers to the administration of large (supra-pharmacologic) doses of drugs in an intermittent manner to enhance the therapeutic effect and reduce the side effects of a particular drug [9]. The credit of the first use of corticosteroids in pulse form goes to Kountz and Cohn [4], who used them to prevent renal graft rejection. Subsequently, pulse corti-costeroids have been used in various dermatological as well as nondermatological indications. Oral minipulse (OMP), that is, intermittent administration of betame-thasone/ dexamethasone has been pioneered in India by Pasricha et al. [6] and was first published in 1989. They first used it in vitiligo. Subsequently, OMP has been used successfully in various other dermatoses such as extensive alopecia areata [8], cicatricial alopecia, extensive/bullous lichen planus [2], trachyonychia [5], infantile periocular haemangioma [11], etc. As the indications of use of OMP suggest, it is understandable that in dermatoses for which steroid therapy is effective, OMP may be used, for maintaining efficacy and cutting down on side effects. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.