Efficacy of Pimecrolimus in Children with Mild to Moderate Atopic Dermatitis and Its Effect on Th17/Treg Balance

ZHANG Tingting; TANG Yong; LUO Yuping; YU Qian; LÜ Ruihuang

doi:10.3639/j.issn.2095-3097.2026.02.026

Abstract：Objective To investigate the efficacy of pimecrolimus in treating children with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis(AD)and its influence on the T helper 17 cells(TH17)/regulatory T cells(Treg)balance.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 150 children with mild to moderate AD admitted to Sichuan Jinxin Xinan Women and Children's Hospital from June 2024 to June 2025.The patients were divided into two groups based on different treatment methods:78 children in the control group received basic treatment plus hydrocortisone butyrate cream,and 72 children in the study group received basic treatment plus 1%pimecrolimus cream.The efficacy,adverse reactions,and changes in clinical symptom scores and immunological indicators before and after treatment were compared between the two groups.Results The total clinical effective rate of the study group was 94.44%,significantly higher than that of the control group(83.33%)(P<0.05).After treatment,the improvements in scoring atopic dermatitis,eczema area and severity index,and pruritus visual analogue scale scores in the study group were significantly better than those in the control group(P<0.05).After treatment,the improvements in the proportion of peripheral blood Th17 cells,the Th17/Treg ratio,the proportion of Treg cells,and the levels of IL-17 and IL-10 in the study group were also significantly better than those in the control group(P<0.05).The total incidence of adverse reactions in the study group(9.72%)was significantly lower than that in the control group(21.79%)(P<0.05).Conclusion Pimecrolimus has a good clinical effect in the treatment of children with mild to moderate AD,effectively improving clinical symptoms such as pruritus and skin lesions,correcting Th17/Treg imbalance,and shows high safety.