Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Low-dose interferon-gamma treatment for dog atopic dermatitis
By Yasukawa, Kuniyoshi et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2010·Sanyo Animal Medical Center, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Low-dose recombinant canine interferon-gamma for treatment of canine atopic dermatitis: an open randomized comparative trial of two doses.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with atopic dermatitis (a skin allergy causing itching and irritation) was treated with a low-dose medication called recombinant canine interferon-gamma. The dogs received either a lower dose of 2000 units/kg or a higher dose of 5000 units/kg three times a week for four weeks. The higher dose showed significantly better results, with improvements in itching, skin redness, and hair loss, making it as effective as the standard higher dose of 10,000 units/kg used in previous treatments. This suggests that the 5000 units/kg dose is a good option for managing atopic dermatitis in dogs.
People also search for: dog itching treatment · canine atopic dermatitis medication · interferon-gamma for dogs
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the minimum effective dose of recombinant canine interferon-gamma (rCaIFN-gamma) for the treatment of dogs with atopic dermatitis (AD). Thirty-four dogs with AD from 17 animal hospitals in Japan were administered half or one-fifth of the approved rCaIFN-gamma dose of 10 000 units/kg, three times a week for 4 weeks, followed by once weekly for an additional 4 weeks. Pruritus, excoriation, erythema and alopecia were evaluated and scored by the investigators on weeks 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12. The efficacy rate (number of excellent cases + number of good cases/total number of cases) at week 8 in the 2000 units/kg group was 36.4% for pruritus, 36.4% for excoriation, 45.5% for erythema and 36.4% for alopecia. In contrast, in the 5000 units/kg group, the efficacy rate was 64.3% for pruritus, 57.1% for excoriation, 78.6% for erythema and 78.6% for alopecia. The efficacy rate of the 5000 units/kg group was high for all signs evaluated and comparable to that of the 10 000 units/kg group reported in a previous study. The results of this study showed that 2000 units/kg of rCaIFN-gamma is less effective than 5000 units/kg to treat dogs with AD, and the efficacy of the 5000 units/kg dose is comparable to that of 10 000 units/kg at week 8.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19706009/