A multicenter, randomized trial recruited 70 patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), except those treated with oral corticosteroids, ciclosporin and antihistamines within the last 2 weeks. All patients received topical tacrolimus and emollients b.i.d. with minimum topical corticosteroids (< 20 g/2 weeks) for 2-4 weeks. The changes in visual analogue scale (VAS) for itch and AD severity were examined. Patients who attained a decrease in VAS-itch scores of > 20 points were re-randomized to topical tacrolimus monotherapy while the remainder received emollients. No topical corticosteroids were allowed. In the first phase, 64.7% (44/68) of patients obtained relief of pruritus and 42/44 patients completed the second phase. Recurrence of pruritus (VAS-itch scores increasing by ...