Summary
Background
Melasma is an acquired, chronic, recurrent hypermelanosis that occurs exclusively in areas exposed to the sun. Its treatment can be very challenging. Tranexamic acid (TA) is an inhibitor of plasmin, and it is a synthetic derivative of the amino acid lysine that reversibly blocks binding sites on the plasminogen molecule, inhibiting the plasminogen activator from converting plasminogen to plasmin.
Aims
This study evaluated the efficacy of oral TA in the treatment of melasma in patients from a philanthropic dermatological clinic.
Patients/Methods
This was a monocentric, randomized, double‐blind, controlled clinical trial. Patients with facial melasma were randomly divided into the following two groups: A (TA 250 mg orally twice daily) or B (oral placebo twice daily). Evaluations were performed before and after 12 weeks of treatment with photographs, colorimetry, MELASQoL, and MASI. All patients were instructed to use tinted sunscreen (SPF 50).
Results
Of the 47 patients selected, 37 completed the study, with 20 in group A and 17 in group B; the patients consisted of one male and 36 females, and the mean age was 43.97 years old. Based on the four methods of evaluation, the melasma in 50% of patients in group A improved versus only 5.9% of patients in group B (P < 0.005). There was an improvement according to all evaluation methods in the treatment group. No patient had severe side effects.
Conclusions
We conclude that tranexamic acid was effective in 50% of patients according to four methods of evaluation when compared to the placebo.
Churg-Strauss syndrome is a rare systemic vasculitis characterized by asthma and
other allergy symptoms as well as eosinophilia and necrotizing vasculitis
involving small and medium-sized vessels. Its prevalence in the general
population ranges from 1-3 cases per million a year, varying according to the
population studied. The authors describe a case of a female patient affected by
the disease with important systemic manifestations and not very florid skin
lesions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.