Methotrexate for severe nummular eczema in children: Efficacy and tolerability in a retrospective study of 28 patients.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Nummular eczema in children is a chronic condition characterized by pruritic coin-shaped eczematous lesions that affect any part of the body and often become exudative. Mid- to high-potency topical corticosteroids are considered the mainstay treatment, but there are limited data on the use of systemic therapy for nummular eczema in children. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of methotrexate in children with severe nummular eczema.

METHODS: A retrospective review was undertaken of children with nummular eczema treated with methotrexate between January 2007 and May 2017.

RESULTS: The records of 28 patients (24 male, 4 female) with a mean age at the beginning of treatment of 7.8 ± 1.6 years (95% confidence interval (CI) = 6.1-9.4 years) were reviewed. The median duration of treatment was 12.6 ± 3.3 months (95% CI = 9.2-16 months), and 14 patients were still undergoing methotrexate therapy at the time of last review. Ten patients (35.7%) had complete or almost complete clearance of eczema (> 90% improvement), 13 (46.4%) had marked improvement (50%-89%), four had mild improvement (< 50%), and one failed methotrexate therapy. Gastrointestinal intolerance (21.4%) and a nonsignificant increase in liver enzymes (17.9%) were the most frequent side effects. No serious adverse events were noted.

CONCLUSION: Methotrexate is an effective, well-tolerated treatment in children with moderate to severe nummular eczema that has failed to respond to conventional topical therapy.