What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a literature review of 29 reports on necrobiosis lipoidica in patients under 18 years old published since 1990.
What They Found
The review of 29 cases found that childhood necrobiosis lipoidica patients had a mean age of 14.3 years, a 2:1 female predominance, and an 80% prevalence of diabetes mellitus. Potent topical steroids are the first-line treatment, but the condition is difficult to treat with a 40% treatment failure rate.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian pediatric patients with necrobiosis lipoidica may benefit from a treatment approach starting with potent topical steroids, escalating to tacrolimus or other systemic therapies for refractory cases. Given the high treatment failure rate, patients and their families should be prepared for a challenging course requiring varied therapeutic strategies.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it is a literature review without Canadian authors or data.
Study Limitations
The review is limited by the available literature, which highlights a 40% treatment failure rate and the need for further research through patient registries.