title: Interferon alpha-2b treatment of symptomatic chronic vulvodynia associated with koilocytosis.
abstract: In an open study with identical criteria for diagnosis, 16 female patients with typical symptoms of chronic vulvodynia associated with acetowhitening of the vestibular epithelium and koilocytosis in biopsy specimens received recombinant interferon alpha-2b 5 MIU intralesionally 3 times weekly for 3 weeks or subcutaneously 3 times weekly for 8 weeks. Three months after end of therapy, clinical symptoms had disappeared in 7 (70%) of the 10 patients treated intralesionally, compared with only one (16%) of the 6 patients treated subcutaneously. In addition, the last 3 (30%) patients in the first group had a partial response to therapy. The acetowhitening persisted in all patients. The koilocytosis remained unchanged in 13 (81%) of the 16 patients. Our results indicate that recombinant interferon alpha-2b administered intralesionally seems to be efficacious in reducing clinical symptoms in vulvodynia with suspected human papillomavirus infection but does not eliminate the infection. Subcutaneous administration had neither symptomatic nor antiviral effect. A placebo-controlled study is needed, but with our present knowledge we recommend intralesionally administered interferon as a symptomatic treatment of vulvodynia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Rigshospitalet, Denmark.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Damkjaer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Albrectsen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Weismann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015552:Injections, Intralesional; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D027383:Papillomaviridae; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000628:therapy*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013997:Time Factors; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000628:therapy*; D014844:Vulva / Q000473:pathology; D014845:Vulvar Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D014847:Vulvitis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins