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Multicenter Trial of 1 Year of Treatment With Recombinant Interferon Gamma

Nicolas Hunzelmann, MD; Sabine Anders, MD; Gerhard Fierlbeck, MD; Rüdiger Hein, MD; Konrad Herrmann, MD; Manuela Albrecht, MD; Sabine Bell, MD; Jochen Thur; Rainer Muche, PhD; Bernhard Adelmann-Grill, PhD; Jörg Wehner-Caroli, MD; Wilhelm Gaus, MD; Thomas Krieg, MD

Arch Dermatol. 1997;133(5):609-613.

Abstract
Objective
To confirm significant improvement of the skin score in systemic sclerosis by treatment with interferon gamma in a larger group of patients and to investigate on a molecular level the influence of interferon gamma on collagen type I messenger RNA expression.

Design
Open, noncontrolled multicenter study. Setting: Five outpatient clinics specializing in the care of systemic scleroderma.

Patients
Thirty-two patients suffering from the diffuse or limited form of systemic sclerosis and progressive disease were recruited; 20 patients finished the study.

Intervention
Each patient received interferon gamma, 50 µg subcutaneously 3 times a week for 1 year.

Main Outcome Measure
Skin score, collagen type I messenger RNA in skin biopsy specimens.

Results
The patients who completed the study showed an unchanged median skin score after 1 year of therapy. In addition, similar collagen type I messenger RNA levels were detected in skin biopsy specimens taken from involved skin before and after therapy in these patients.

Conclusions
Treatment of systemic scleroderma with interferon gamma is associated with stabilization of the skin score and lack of worsening of visceral involvement.

Arch Dermatol. 1997;133:609-613

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Dermatology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany (Drs Hunzelmann, Anders, and Krieg and Mr Thur); Department of Dermatology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany (Drs Fierlbeck and Wehner-Caroli); Department of Dermatology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany (Dr Hein); Department of Dermatology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany (Drs Herrmann and Albrecht); Department of Dermatology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany (Dr Bell); Institute for Biostatistics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany (Drs Muche and Gaus); and Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Munich (Dr Adelmann-Grill).

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