Antihistamines have been used for the treatment of not only allergic diseases such as allergic
urticaria and
rhinitis, but also of
eczematous skin diseases because of their anti-pruritic effects. Moreover, the
pruritus associated with eczematous diseases is considered to be induced, in part, by
histamine. However, it is unclear whether
antihistamines inhibit the itch of eczematous diseases in the absence of topical
corticosteroids. In this study, we investigated the anti-pruritic effect of the
antihistamine,
fexofenadine, on the itch of
contact dermatitis that was induced by topical application of
diphenylcyclopropenone for the treatment for
alopecia areata. Thirteen patients with
alopecia areata, who had been treated weekly with topical
immunotherapy with
diphenylcyclopropenone for 3 months to 2 years, recorded the severity of their
itching on a visual analog scale before and 3, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after application of
diphenylcyclopropenone for 4 consecutive weeks. Seven patients took
fexofenadine during the first and third weeks, and six patients took
fexofenadine during the second and fourth weeks. The severity of
itching reached a maximum 6-12 h after the induction of the
contact dermatitis in most of the patients. However,
fexofenadine partially but rapidly reduced the severity of
itching for 72 h during the entire period of treatment in the absence of topical
corticosteroids. Our results suggest that
fexofenadine can be beneficial in the daily management of patients with
itching due to eczematous disease.