Colchicine in Managing Skin Conditions: A Systematic Review

The systematic review incorporated 96 studies on the use of colchicine, a natural alkaloid with anti-inflammatory properties, as a treatment for various skin diseases. The diseases included Hidradenitis suppurativa, pyoderma gangrenosum, erythema nodosum, erythema induratum, storage diseases, perforating dermatosis, bullous diseases, psoriasis, vasculitis, acne, urticaria, stomatitis, actinic keratosis, and pustular dermatosis. The effectiveness of colchicine varied depending on the skin condition and its severity. In some cases, colchicine showed improvement, while in others, the results were mixed. The review concluded that colchicine could be a possible treatment to manage several skin diseases, either as a single therapy or in combination with other drugs. However, further trials are needed to confirm the usefulness of this drug in various skin diseases. The side effects of oral colchicine are generally low and mostly limited to gastrointestinal manifestations, especially if the dosage does not exceed 1.5 mg per day.