Treatment of psoriatic arthritis by extracorporeal photochemotherapy.
Five patients with long-standing seronegative arthritis resistant to conventional therapy and who also had psoriasis of the skin were treated with photopheresis. This mode of treatment combines a lymphocyte-enrichment procedure with 8-methoxypsoralen-photochemotherapy. There was a marked in vitro effect on treated lymphocytes, with a reduction of viability, proliferation and mitogen response. There was a slight to moderate clinical improvement in four of the five patients with regard to the strength of grip, swelling, pain, morning stiffness, the dosage of non-steroidal anti-rheumatic drugs and the radiographical changes. The skin lesions did not respond to photopheresis. Short-term side-effects were minimal and consisted of a temporary sensitivity of the eyes to light and signs of circulatory dysregulation immediately after treatment. This experimental therapy has some measurable but not dramatic effect in improving psoriatic arthropathy.
Wilfert
H
H
Department of Dermatology I, University of Vienna, Austria.
Hönigsmann
H
H
Steiner
G
G
Smolen
J
J
Wolff
K
K
D000328:Adult; D015535:Arthritis, Psoriatic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011701:PUVA Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects