The following case study is reflective of a number of localized scleroderma anecdotal reports received by Road Back Foundation from parents of children with pediatric linear scleroderma (En Coup de Sabre) responding successfully to long-term treatment with oral penicillin.
Diagnostic and Treatment Strategies of Dermatologists for Treating Morphea in Hungary. Acta Dermatovenerol Croat. 2018 Apr;26(1):21-24.
Researchers in the Dermatology Department of Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, developed a questionnaire that was sent to Hungarian dermatologists to determine the diagnostic and treatment strategies employed for morphea patients. Four-fifths of 101 respondents replied that they tested for Lyme disease (a tick-borne infection that has been strongly correlated with morphea in evidence-based scientific literature), and although topical steroid preparations were commonly-used for skin lesions, most doctors preferred antibiotic therapy (either doxycycline or penicillin) for systemic treatment (presumably for the triggering infection). As only a small percentage (6.9%) of doctors in Hungary responded that they use the immune-suppressant, methotrexate, these study authors expressed the need for universal diagnostic and treatment guidelines for morphea, referring to those employed in western nations that recommend the use of systemic steroids and methotrexate.
Effect of penicillin G on corium thickness in linear morphea of childhood: An analysis using ultrasound technique. Pediatr Dermatol. 1999 Jul-Aug;16(4):314-6.
Case report of a child with a 6-year history of linear morphea, responding positively to treatment with intravenous penicillin G (5 MU aqueous, 3 times per day) for 10 days, consecutively, and ultrasound confirmation of reduced thickness of corium.