Plaquex for Psoriasis and Neurodermitis
Studies show oral PC improves clinical symptoms within 3-4 weeks and skin manifestations disappear after about 4 months or improve considerably. The time to recidivation is prolonged and the manifestations are little pronounced and disappear upon repeating the treatment.
R.Kageyama and Y.Morita1 reported already in 1959 about experiences with oral PC administration for 1-5 months in 4 patients with psoriasis vulgaris. Whereas 1 patient did not respond to the therapy, theother 3 showed improved clinical symptoms already 2-3 weeks after the beginning of therapy. After 4 months the skin manifestations disappeared completely in 2 of them, and were considerably improved in the 3rd patient.
J.Borowski2 who treated besides psoriatics (n=15) also patients with neurodermitis and seborrhoic eczema with PC, partly over 2 years, increased the dose to 2.3 - 4 g PC/day. Recidivations occurring in 10 of the 15 patients during the observation period were described by the author as very little pronounced.
Good results were achieved also in the other dermatoses.
Also G.Giss3 described marked trends towards healing of the skin eruptions already after 2-3 months of oral plus parenteral application of PC (n=26); in some cases the eruptions were reduced so that only minor plaques could still be seen. Another PC therapy alleviated quickly the 5 cases of recidivation. The author observed another group of 327 patients with psoriasis over 5 years. The treatment consisted of a combination of keratolytic ointments, diet, sun bathing, and oral/parenteral PC administration. At the end of the 5- year observation period 291 of the 327 patients had no recidivations for 1-4 years. In the remaining 36 patients recidivations were little pronounced and disappeared quickly when the medication was repeated.
In the investigations carried out since 1983 PC administration has mostly been combined with PUVA radiation (A.I.Abramovich 1984, 19894-6 ; G.I.Pagava 19837 ; Y.A.Khalemin 19878 ; T.A.Glavinskaya 19879 ; A.L. Mashkilleyson et al. 199010 ). In some cases PC was given in addition to sea-salt baths and exposure to sunlight over several weeks (A.I.Abramovich 19895 ; N.Kirjakova 199111 ).
According to the authors the significance of PC administration in addition to conventional therapeutic measures resides in:
- an earlier onset and more complete remission of the skin manifestations after few weeks of treatment already;
- reduced number of required PUVA sessions and thus reduction of the radiation dose;
- reduction of recidivations, i.e. sustained improvement.
References
1 Kageyama, R., Y. Morita: Therapeutische Erfahrungen mit Lipostabil bei einigen Hauterkrankungen. Fortschr. Med. 77 (1959) 411-412
2 Borowski, J.: Lipostabil und Essentiale bei verschiedenen Dermatosen unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Psoriasis. Med. und Ernährung 6 (1964) 124-126
3 Giss, G.: Psoriasis vulgaris und die PC EPL Substanz- ätiologische Betrachtungen und therpeutische Erfahrunge. Der Prakt. Arzt 21 (1967) 1008-1017
4 Abramovich, A.I.: Effect of Essentiale on the serum fatty acid spectrum in patients with psoriasis Metabolic aspects of dermatology and venerology, Gorki/USSR (1984) 35-39
5 Abramovich, A.I.: The use of Essentiale in the treatment of patients with psoriasis Vestnik Dermatol. Venerol. 7 (1984) 54-56
6 Abramovich, A.I.: The clinical significance of dislipidemia in psoriasis patients Acta Derm.Venerol. 146 (Suppl) (1989) 216
7 Pagava, G.l.: Increasing the efficacy of PUVA treatment of psoriasis on the basis of studies of epidermal cell membranes Dissertation, Candidate Med Sciences, Tiblisi 1983, 106-110 (conclusions)
8 Khalemin, Y.A., V.Y.Bakhtilin, S.G.Yelkin, N.N.Filimonova: Improving the technique of PUVA therapy with due regard for the biochemical and pathophysiologic mechanisms of psoriasis In: Proc. 3rd Symp. Dermatol. Social. Countr. Psoriasis, (Vladimirov V.V. et al.; Eds.), June 30 to July 2, 1987, Moscow, 113-114
9 Glavinskaya, T.A., A.I.Abramovich, S.L.Kritbatkin: Metabolism-correcting therapy of psoriatic patients In: Proc. 3rd Symp. Dermatol. Social. Countr. Psoriasis, (Vladimirov V.V. et al.; Eds.), June 30 to July 2, 1987, Moscow, 78-79
10 Mashkilleyson, A.L., Yu.I.Golousenko, M.A.Gomberg E.N. Bocharova Treatment of psoriasis with a combination of PUVA and Essentiale forte (Es-PUVA) Dtsch. Dermatol. 38 (1990) 1318-1319
11 Kirjakova, N.: Behandlung der Psoriasis mit Essentiale forte nach der Thalassotherapie XX. Congr. Internat. Thalessotherapie, Borkum, May 12-17, 1991 2 Abstracts