Unusual immediate adverse effects of photochemotherapy

The focus of attention regarding the side-effects of PUVA therapy has mainly been its potential carcinogenesis. Short-term adverse effects are less commonly reported. A review is given of adverse effects reported in the literature. The majority of reports deal with psoralen-induced adverse reactions from 8-methoxypsoralen. A minority of the reports deal with actual PUVA-related adverse effects, requiring UVA irradiation as well as the ingestion of the drug. Prompt recognition of these phenomena is of importance to the patient as they may have immediate implications for continued photochemotherapy.