ORAL CAROTENOIDS FOR PHOTOHYPERSENSITIVITY IN PATIENTS WITH ERYTHROHEPATIC PROTOPORPHYRIA, POLYMORPHOUS LIGHT ERUPTIONS AND LUPUS ERYTHEMATODES DISCOIDES

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Abstract
β‐carotene and canthaxanthin in a dose of 75–250 mg a day by mouth reduced the symptoms of exposure to the sun in all 7 treated patients with erythrohepatic protoporphyria (EPP). in 15 of 18 with polymorphous light eruptions (PMLE) and in 3 of 4 with lupus erythematodes discoides. In the EPP group the protoporphyrin level tended to vary inversely with that of the serum carotenoids. The level of retinol‐binding protein in plasma remained unchanged despite a substantial rise in the concentration of the serum carotenoids. Estimation of the minimal erythema dose for unfiltered light from a Xenon lamp in 7 patients with PMLE showed an increase in only 1 patient. Neither clinical examination nor repeated laboratory studies revealed any serious side effects of the treatment.
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