PUVA treatment in chromium hypersensitivity: effect on skin reactivity and lymphocyte functions.
Two male patients with longstanding contact sensitivity to chromium were treated with PUVA. One patient, suffering from concomitant photosensitivity, reacted very favorably; his skin lesions cleared and light tolerance increased. This was paralleled by a decrease in the photopatch test reactivity and by the extinction of the patch-test reactivity on PUVA-exposed (pigmented) skin. Patch and photopatch tests on PUVA-shielded skin showed no decrease in skin test reactivity. PUVA-treatment caused a decrease in the number of rosette-forming T cells and an increase in lymphocyte stimulation in both patients. In one patient, abnormally high PHA-induced suppressor cell activities were recorded prior to treatment; after PUVA therapy the values were back to normal. In both patients, the PPD-induced suppressor cell activity of PWN response was clearly increased by PUVA-therapy. Other suppressor cell functions were not much affected. It is concluded that while PUVA-therapy may produce some systemic immunological effects, its abating effect on contact sensitivity and photosensitivity is mainly mediated through local mechanisms in the skin.
D000328:Adult; D002857:Chromium / Q000276:immunology*; D003877:Dermatitis, Contact / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011701:PUVA Therapy; D010328:Patch Tests; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D010787:Photosensitivity Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy
D002857:Chromium