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Have Morphea On Back. Had Diabetes, Easily Fractured. Takes Doxycycline For Acne. Methotrexate Has Side Effects?
Question: My 16 yo has morphea on just her back. One stable for 1.5 yrs thick area (4cm by 8cm) and and a larger mildly affected but more diffuse area that developed in the last year ( 10cm by 14 cm, but hard to tell since its barely discernable and its in a mottled pattern ).. She also has type-1 diabetes , fractures easily (14 breaks since kindergarten) and takes doxycycline for her acne. She tried Dovonex for a couple of months on the stable, thick area- no change for worse of better. The next plan is methotrexate, but it seems to have a lot of side effects. Do you think its worth it? What would you do?
Hi dear,
Morphea or localised scleroderma is a disorder characterized by excessive collagen deposition leading to thickening of the dermis, subcutaneous tissues, or both.
Treatment consists of oral and topical immunomodulators.
Dovonex contains Calcipotriol which is a Vit D analogue with immunomodulator activity and it is very useful and established drug for treating morphea.
My opinion would be to continue using Dovonex as it sometimes takes some time for its full effect.
As your daughter is suffering from Diabetes any systemic immunosuppressants like methotreaxate will cause more problems with more chances of infections and blood glucose levels.
Morphea in general is benign condition and is unlikely to cause any serious problems apart from skin changes.
As in your case morphea lesions are stable there is no need to go for methotrexate or higher immunomodulators.
Instead some topical therapies useful are.
1.Liberal application of Good quality moisturizer cream .
2. Addition of potent topical corticosteroid like clobetasol or Halobetasol.
3.Topical tacrolimus 0.1% once a day.
4.Use of phototherapy UVA or UVA1 therapy on alternate days.
Portable UVA lamps are available for home based treatments.
UVA phototherapy is extremely good option in your case as it has no remarkable side effects.
Discuss these options with your dermatologist.
Hope Ive answered your queries.
Write back if you have additional concerns.
Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Regards.
Dr Sudarshan.
Morphea or localised scleroderma is a disorder characterized by excessive collagen deposition leading to thickening of the dermis, subcutaneous tissues, or both.
Treatment consists of oral and topical immunomodulators.
Dovonex contains Calcipotriol which is a Vit D analogue with immunomodulator activity and it is very useful and established drug for treating morphea.
My opinion would be to continue using Dovonex as it sometimes takes some time for its full effect.
As your daughter is suffering from Diabetes any systemic immunosuppressants like methotreaxate will cause more problems with more chances of infections and blood glucose levels.
Morphea in general is benign condition and is unlikely to cause any serious problems apart from skin changes.
As in your case morphea lesions are stable there is no need to go for methotrexate or higher immunomodulators.
Instead some topical therapies useful are.
1.Liberal application of Good quality moisturizer cream .
2. Addition of potent topical corticosteroid like clobetasol or Halobetasol.
3.Topical tacrolimus 0.1% once a day.
4.Use of phototherapy UVA or UVA1 therapy on alternate days.
Portable UVA lamps are available for home based treatments.
UVA phototherapy is extremely good option in your case as it has no remarkable side effects.
Discuss these options with your dermatologist.
Hope Ive answered your queries.
Write back if you have additional concerns.
Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Regards.
Dr Sudarshan.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Thank you very much. I expressed concern about the methotrexate to the local dermatologist. She also has a protocol with UV light therapy and topical steroids that she is setting up instead. Thank you for your answer, it helps me feel more confident in asking about treatment options other than methotrexate.
Hi again,
You can go for UV light therapy if available.
If you like my answers and wish me to answer in future, bring it to my attention, “Dr. Sudarshan”.
Do not forget to accept this answer if you have no further queries.
Regards.
Dr Sudarshan
You can go for UV light therapy if available.
If you like my answers and wish me to answer in future, bring it to my attention, “Dr. Sudarshan”.
Do not forget to accept this answer if you have no further queries.
Regards.
Dr Sudarshan
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
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