TREATMENT OF SCLERODERMA WITH ORAL 1,25-DIHYDROXYVITAMIN D-3 - EVALUATION OF SKIN INVOLVEMENT USING NONINVASIVE TECHNIQUES RESULTS OF AN OPEN PROSPECTIVE TRIAL
P. Humbert et al., TREATMENT OF SCLERODERMA WITH ORAL 1,25-DIHYDROXYVITAMIN D-3 - EVALUATION OF SKIN INVOLVEMENT USING NONINVASIVE TECHNIQUES RESULTS OF AN OPEN PROSPECTIVE TRIAL, Acta dermato-venereologica, 73(6), 1993, pp. 449-451
1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25 (OH)(2) D-3) causes dose-dependent
inhibition of fibroblast growth and collagen synthesis and has numero
us immunoregulatory activities. We assessed the effects of oral 1,25 (
OH)(2) D-3 in the treatment of patients with systemic sclerosis (SS).
Eleven patients with SS entered an open prospective study. Oral 1,25 (
OH)(2) D-3 was given at a mean dose of 1.75 mu g/day. The effects of t
he treatment were evaluated using clinical examination and physical me
asurements. After the treatment period (6 months to 3 years), a signif
icant improvement, as compared with baseline values, was observed. No
serious side-effects were observed. These results suggest that high-do
se 1,25 (OH)(2) D-3 may be a useful therapeutic agent for scleroderma.