Topical steroids and calcineurin inhibitors are currently the best approaches in the treatment of children with atopic dermatitis (AD). Ciclosporin (at an initial dose of 5 mg/kg, increased to 7 mg/kg if no response at 10-14 days) is also considered to be safe and effective; however, the management of AD in teenagers may be complicated by factors related to the patients' way of life and their interaction with their parents. Other agents are currently being evaluated in this indication. One child with AD showed clearance of the disease after treatment with efalizumab, but later developed autoimmune thrombocytopenia. In another study that enrolled 10 adult patients with very severe AD, six patients ...