SYSTEMIC INTERFERON-GAMMA TREATMENT IN SEVERE ATOPIC-DERMATITIS

Background: Recent results suggest decreased interferon gamma (IFN-gam ma) but high interleukin 4 (IL-4) production in patients with atopic d ermatitis (AD). Because the relative activities of IL-4 and IFN-gamma seem to regulate the amplitude of the IgE response we suggested a role for IFN-gamma in the treatment of AD. Objective. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of systemic IFN-gamma treatment in pa tients with severe AD. Methods: Patients with severe AD (n = 14) were treated with recombinant IFN-gamma for 6 weeks. During the study only basic local therapy with steroid-free hydrophilic or emollient ointmen ts was allowed. Results: Eight patients (57%) showed marked clinical i mprovement during systemic IFN-gamma therapy. Four of these patients s howed continuous improvement 3 months after treatment was discontinued . Mean total and antigen-specific serum IgE concentrations were not st atistically different during and after treatment, whereas mean spontan eous IgE production in vitro was significantly lower after 6 weeks of IFN-gamma therapy. Conclusion: Our results suggest that IFN-gamma trea tment may represent a novel therapeutic approach in patients with seve re AD.