VITAMIN-C FOR THE TREATMENT OF RECURRENT FURUNCULOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH IMPAIRED NEUTROPHIL FUNCTIONS

The effect of vitamin C treatment on 23 patients with a history of rec urrent furunculosis with negative nasal cultures was studied, Neutroph il functions (chemotaxis, phagocytosis, or superoxide generation) of 1 2 patients were significantly lower than those of the matched controls , In this group, treatment with vitamin C (1 g/day) caused a dramatic clinical response as well as a significant improvement of neutrophil f unctions, reaching values similar to those of the controls, Two patien ts remained vitamin C-dependent. In the patients with normal neutrophi l functions, vitamin C treatment neither affected neutrophil activity nor caused a clinical response, Therefore, patients suffering from rec urrent furunculosis with defective neutrophil functions may be treated successfully with vitamin C, contributing to both neutrophil function recovery and a dramatic clinical response.