A 54 year-old man presented with multiple, 1 month-old, itchy erythematous maculopapular patches on both legs, both arms, and back, which were diagnosed as prurigo nodularis. He had no underlying disease. Treatment with oral cyclosporine (50 mg/day) was started. However, his blood pressure exceeded the hypertension borderline after 8 weeks of treatment even though he had no underlying hypertension. Therefore, the treatment was changed to oral alitretinoin (30 mg/day) for 2 weeks. His itching sensation was reduced after the treatment without recurrence.
A 41 year-old woman presented with localized brownish papules and patches with crust and a scaly skin lesion. She had chronic kidney disease. Her skin lesion was diagnosed as prurigo nodularis. Because of her impaired kidney function, medication that might impair renal function was limited. Treatment with oral alitretinoin was selected in a dose of 30 mg/day. Within 4 weeks of treatment, the symptoms had improved compared to conventional treatment. She continued treatment with oral alitretinoin during which the symptoms waxed and waned.