LOW REACTIVE-LEVEL LASER THERAPY IMPROVED SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS-ASSOCIATED RAYNAUD’S PHENOMENON

Abstract

Systemic sclerosis (SSC) is sometimes associated with the appearance of Raynaud’s disease due to diffuse vasculopathy associated with SSC. Low reactive-level laser therapy (LLLT) has been reported in the past to have beneficial effects in various vasculopathies, including Buerger’s and Raynaud’s diseases. The authors surmised that LLLT might therefore be of some assistance in the treatment of the Raynaud’s component of SSC. A 30-yr old male patient with SSC was treated with a combination of bosentan and LLLT (GaAlAs diode laser, 60 mW, continuous wave, incident power density 3 W/cm2) in 35 treatment sessions over 24 weeks. After the final treatment session, both skin tightness and Raynaud’s phenomenon had improved, whereas no progression was seen in the pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary function did not get any worse. The results suggest that bosentan with complementary LLLT was effective for not only improving the dermal blood circulation but also preventing progression of the overall disease status in this case.