Treatment of prurigo nodularis with pregabalin

Keywords: itching, nodules, pregabalin, prurigoSUMMARYWhat is known and objective: Prurigo nodularis (PN) is achronic skin condition that is difficult to treat. Pregabalin isone of the possible treatments for PN but its safety and effi-cacy are not well defined. We aimed to assess the efficacy ofpregabalin in patients with PN.Methods: Thirty patients (10 men, 20 women; mean age51.6 ± 9.39 years) were treated with pregabalin (75 mg/day) for3 months. Efficacy was classified as (i) successful (disappear-ance of the pruritus and reduction of nodules); (ii) slightimprovement/reduction of the nodules, that is, number and/orflattening, no disappearance of itching; or (iii) unsuccessful.Results: Twenty-three patients (76%) responded successfullyafter 3 months of treatment. There was a statistically signifi-cant difference between visual analogue scale scores beforeand after 1 month treatment period (8AE15 ± 2AE04 and 1AE5±1AE12,respectively; P <0AE0001). Pregabalin was generally well toler-ated with only six (20%) patients reporting side effects. Nopatient showed any renal insufficiency.What is new and conclusion: In our study, pregabalin waseffective for the treatment of PN. However, given the openand non-controlled study design used, a properly poweredrandomized controlled validation study is called for.WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVEPrurigo nodularis (PN) is a benign dermatitis of unknown aeti-ology characterized by firm, hyperkeratotic pruritic nodulesmost commonly localized symmetrically on the bilateral exten-sor lower extremities.