[Application of pentoxiphylline to treatment of leg ulcers: a Polish multicenter study]

Aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy, tolerance and safety of treatment of leg ulcer with pentoxiphylline administered orally in daily dose of 1200 mg divided for 3 doses for six months. The study was carried out in 19 centres in Poland. The results of clinical and laboratory (HGB, WBC, PTL) examinations made before, during and after treatment were documented in individual case-records. Pentoxiphylline was administered to 184 patients (124 F and 60 M) aged 22-86 (mean-61.6) yrs. One hundred and thirty-five patients had non-arterial ulcers, 37-partly arterial and 12-arterial. The duration of the disease was 1 to 1620 (mean 158) weeks. Resting pain was reported by 131 patients. In 9 persons the treatment was stopped after 1-2 months; in 6 (3%) of them due to side effects. In 175 patients pentoxiphylline was administered as follows: 1200 mg daily for 6 months in 92 cases, 1200 mg daily for 2-5 months--in 58, 1200 mg daily for 3-5 months and 800 mg daily for next 1-3 months--in 12 cases, and 800 mg daily for 1-6 months--in 13 cases. In 161 (92%) cases a beneficial effect was achieved including complete healing of the ulcers in 79 (45%) or improvement in 82 (47%); in 14 (8%) there was no improvement. The resting pain was significantly reduced in 114 (87%) patients within 1-24 weeks and completely disappeared in 69 (53%) patients within 2-20 weeks of treatment. No significant abnormalities in the results of laboratory tests were found. Transient side effects of the therapy appeared in 11 patients but they did not require administration of the drug to be discontinued. The study showed that pentoxiphylline is a effective, well tolerated and safe drug in the treatment of leg ulcers.