Safety and efficacy of intralesional injection of enalapril versus triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of keloids.

INTRODUCTION: Keloids are pathologic conditions characterized by fibroblast hyper-proliferation and excess collagen deposition. Enalapril, one of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, has recently been highlighted as a new therapeutic modality in treating keloids. This study evaluates the effectiveness of intralesional injection of enalapril versus triamcinolone acetonide (TAA) in keloids.

METHODS: Forty patients with multiple keloids were enrolled in our study. Enalapril and TAA were injected intralesionally in one session per month for three sessions. The clinical outcomes were assessed via the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) and the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS).

RESULTS: In both groups, according to VSS and POSAS, there was a high statistically significant difference (p-value ≤ 0.01) before treatment, at the end of each session, and 3 months after treatment. There was no significant difference between both groups regarding degree of improvement. Patients treated with TAA developed more significant complications than those in the enalapril group (p-value < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Both enalapril and TAA had the same clinical effect. Enalapril could be a safe alternative to steroids in the treatment of keloid and hypertrophic scars. Further studies on enalapril are needed on a large sample of patients with further focus on the mechanism of this innovative drug.