Intranasal PUVA phototherapy in nasal polyposis--a pilot study.
Nasal polyposis (NP) affects 4% of the general population, representing a major health problem. In spite of complex (surgical and medical) treatment, the relapse rate is high and it has a negative impact on the quality of life. Recently we found that intranasal photochemotherapy with ultraviolet A light (PUVA) is effective in allergic rhinitis. In the present study PUVA was administered for 6 weeks in 7 patients with NP. Nasal lavages were performed in all patients before and at the end of the treatment; from four patients a biopsy specimen was also collected. Eosinophils significantly decreased in patients with NP and slightly in a patient who had associated aspirin sensitivity. IL-5 and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) levels showed a decreasing trend in patients with NP and an increasing trend in patients with associated aspirin sensitivity. Our results suggest that intranasal PUVA might represent a future therapeutic method in a subset of patients with NP.
Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University of Szeged, Hungary. akoreck@yahoo.com
Andrea
A
Koreck
Zsolt
Z
Bella
Edit
E
Kadocsa
Adam
A
Perenyi
Laszlo
L
Tiszlavicz
Istvan
I
Nemeth
Maria
M
Kiss
Tudor Rares
TR
Olariu
Jozsef
J
Jori
Lajos
L
Kemeny
D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009298:Nasal Polyps / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D011701:PUVA Therapy; D010865:Pilot Projects
D015848:Interleukin-5