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Treatment of urticaria pigmentosa using interferon alpha
Author(s) -
KOLDE G.,
SUNDERKÖTTER C.,
LUGER T. A.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1995.tb02499.x
Subject(s) - urticaria pigmentosa , medicine , infiltration (hvac) , bone marrow , alpha interferon , dermatology , cytokine , mast cell , pathology , interferon , immunology , physics , thermodynamics
Summary Long‐term treatment with interferon alpha (IFN‐α) has recently been shown to reduce the bone marrow infiltrate and cutaneous lesions in systemic mast cell disease. We therefore administered this cytokine to six patients with urticaria pigmentosa for up to 12 months, using subcutaneous injections of 5×10 6 U, initially five times, and subsequently three times a week. The generally well‐tolerated therapy resulted in marked improvement of the cutaneous symptoms, especially in three of the patients who suffered from very severe pruritus. Two of the patients with bone marrow infiltration showed normal findings after treatment. However, in none of the patients was there any change in the skin lesions, or decrease in the degree of cutaneous mast cell infiltration, as evidenced by light and electron microscopic examination. These findings indicate that IFN‐α is highly effective in the control of symptoms, but otherwise does not influence the cutaneous lesions of urticaria pigmentosa.