HealthDay News — Tetracycline combined with colchicine is effective for treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), according to a study published online in the International Journal of Dermatology.

Kalliopi Armyra, MD, from Andreas Sygros Skin Hospital in Athens, Greece, and colleagues examined the effectiveness of tetracycline combined with colchicine in HS treatment. Twenty patients with HS (10 men and 10 women) were treated with 100 mg minocycline administered orally once per day in combination with 0.5 mg colchicine administered twice per day for six months. Thereafter, for three months they received a maintenance regimen of 0.5 mg colchicine administered orally twice per day. Patients were assessed at baseline and every three months for nine months.

The researchers observed a significant improvement in clinical manifestation, as indicated in the Hurley scoring system and Dermatology Life Quality Index scores. Patients achieved substantial improvement or complete remission according to the physician’s global assessment scale. Within the first three months of therapy, clinically, all patients started to show signs of improvement; improvement continued over the next six months.

“This study indicates that the combination of the anti-inflammatory actions of colchicine and minocycline is effective in disease control in HS,” the authors write. “Colchicine emerged as a safe option for the maintenance of the obtained result.”

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