Somatostatin treatment of psoriasis.

Somatostatin treatment was administered to 20 psoriatic patients according to the following protocol: Continuous infusion (250 micrograms/h) for at least 2 days followed either by short infusions (1 h) at 8 A.M. and 8 P.M. (12 cases) or by repeating the initial 2-day infusion (eight patients). Before treatment (day 0) and on day 6, biopsy specimens were taken for routine examination (12 patients) and for ultrastructure (seven patients). In vitro immunological studies were carried out on peripheral blood lymphocytes (six patients) on day 0 and day 8. In two patients, somatostatin was stopped because of serious side effects. Thus, clinical results were evaluated in 18 patients, on day 30. In ten of them no improvement whatsoever occurred, two had a partial clearing and an almost complete remission was achieved in six others. Ultrastructural studies showed, on day 6, enlargement of the intercellular spaces with deposits of granular material of glucidic composition, associated with features of cellular damage. Percentages of T and B cells were unmodified but a significant depression of mitogenic stimulation by PHA and ConA was clearly observed on day 8. Even if somatostatin treatment may have a beneficial effect in some patients it seems much less valid than other well-known therapies for psoriasis.