Vitamin C for the treatment of recurrent furunculosis in patients with impaired neutrophil functions

R. Levy, O. Shriker, A. Porath, K. Riesenberg, F. Schlaeffer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

64 Scopus citations

Abstract

The effect of vitamin C treatment on 23 patients with a history of recurrent furunculosis with negative nasal cultures was studied. Neutrophil functions (chemotaxis, phagocytosis, or superoxide generation) of 12 patients were significantly lower than those of the matched controls. In this group, treatment with vitamin C (1 g/day) caused a dramatic clinical response as well as a significant improvement of neutrophil functions, reaching values similar to those of the controls. Two patients remained vitamin C-dependent. In the patients with normal neutrophil functions, vitamin C treatment neither affected neutrophil activity nor caused a clinical response. Therefore, patients suffering from recurrent furunculosis with defective neutrophil functions may be treated successfully with vitamin C, contributing to both neutrophil function recovery and a dramatic clinical response.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1502-1505
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Infectious Diseases
Volume173
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 1996

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Infectious Diseases

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