Long‐term Transfer Factor Treatment in Severe Atopic Dermatitis

Abstract

Since Lawrence demonstrated that delayed hypersensitivity reactions in man could be transferred by viable leucocytes or extracts hereof, called transfer factor (TF) (lo), attempts to augment cell-mediated immune functions with TF have been made on patients with deficient cell-mediated immune reactivity. The main fields in which the clinical application of TF is used are infectious diseases (6, 9), immunodeficiency diseases (15) and malignancies (11, 20).In dermatology TF has been successfully used to intensify parameters of cell-mediated immune reactions in a patient with severe skin infection caused by Mycobacterium avium (17); also in generalized vaccinia treatment with TF seems to be of value (5). In mycosis fungoides additional treatment with TF was found promising (21).Within the last year two case reports have indicated a very successful use of TF in the treatment of severe atopic dermatitis in children (i, 16). We have treated three adults with severe atopic dermatitis and signs of depressed cell-mediated immune reactivity for a period of i V2 years. The present paper gives our results.

Failure of transfer factor therapy in atopic dermatitis

“…However, a later trial with TF treatment in this patient this time failed to alleviate the ezcema (6). Thulin et al (18) gave TF (2-4 injections/month for 18 months) to 3 adults with atopic dermatitis and depressed cell-mediated im munity. They reported no major changes in the patients' atopic dermatitis and no prolonged effect was recorded in the immunological in vitro in vestigations.…”