To assess the effectiveness and safety of homeopathic and conventional therapies in the treatment of chronic skin diseases. Prospective multi-centre study. Patients were recruited at out patient care settings in Germany and Austria and given either homeopathic or conventional treatment. The main outcome criterion was the response rate, defined as the proportion of patients experiencing ‘complete recovery’ or ‘major improvement’ at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. Secondary outcome criteria were quality of life (SF-12, EQ-5D, KINDL), patient satisfaction and safety. A total of 204 patients with chronic skin diseases were evaluated in the full analysis set of which 125 received homeopathic (H) and 79 conventional (C) treatment. The majority of the patients in both groups suffered from either eczema (H: 32%; C: 39.2%), psoriasis (H: 21.6%; C: 48.1%) or neurodermitis (H: 20.0%; C: 8.9%). In the homeopathic group, patients were treated either with homeopathic topical ointments (such as a 10% berberis acquifolium or 10% cardiospermum halicacabum) or individual homeopathic treatment (such as sulphur, natrium chloratum or lycopodium). In the conventional treated group, topical creams containing corticosteroids and calcipotriene were most frequently prescribed. The % of responders (defined as ‘completely recovered’ or ‘major improvement’) increased from 54.4% (H) and 41.7% (C) after 6 months of treatment to 59.2% (H) and 43.1% (C) after 2 years of treatment, respectively. Quality of life and general health were improved in both groups after 2 years of treatment. Patient’s satisfaction with treatment and health care provider after 2 years of treatment was higher in the homeopathic treated group (72.8% and 84.8%) compared with the conventional treated group (60.8% and 76.0%). Adverse drug reactions occurred less frequently in the homeopathic group than in the conventional treated group (H: 26.4%; C: 41.7%). The treatment of chronic skin diseases with homeopathic remedies appears to be more safe and satisfactory to the patient when compared with conventional medication, with improvement in quality of life and general health up to 2 years after start of the treatment. Author: Jong, M. (2009). Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1876382009000766 Objectives
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