The study population consisted of consecutively recruited participants who suffered from chronic chilblains during the winters of 2010 to 2012. Participants volunteered after being informed about the trial by their GP during a consultation.
How this fits in
Chronic chilblains are cold-induced painful or itching lesions on the fingers, feet, ears, or thighs. The prescription of topical steroids for patients with chilblains finds support in one study. The current randomised, placebo-controlled trial does not confirm the conclusions of this study. Topical betamethasone should not be used in the treatment of chronic chilblains without new evidence.
The authors included participants aged ≥18 years with complaints of chronic chilblains lasting ≥3 weeks. The diagnosis (International Classification of Primary Care [ICPC] A88.01) was confirmed by one author, based on commonly used diagnostic criteria: complaints emerging in the winter months with itching and/or painful purple-blue discoloured lesions on fingers and/or toes and/or other localisations on the feet and/or on the lateral side of the thigh, without a history of complaints persisting in the summer months.1,7 The validity of the confirmation of the diagnosis had previously been demonstrated.5 The authors excluded people with a known rheumatic disorder (for example, rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus), those who were using nifedipine or other calcium antagonist, those who had been using a corticosteroid-containing cream in the previous 4 weeks, and females who were pregnant or lactating.