Hydrogen(H2) treatment for acute erythymatous skin diseases. A report of 4 patients with safety data and a non-controlled feasibility study with H2 concentration measurement on two volunteers.

BACKGROUND: We have treated 4 patients of acute erythematous skin diseases with fever and/or pain by H2 enriched intravenous fluid. We also added data from two volunteers for assessing the mode of H2 delivery to the skin for evaluation of feasibility of H2 treatment for this type of skin diseases. METHODS: All of the four patients received intravenous administration of 500 ml of H2 enriched fluid in 30 min for more than 3 days except in one patient for only once. From two volunteers (one for intravenous H2 administration and the other for H2 inhalation), blood samples were withdrawn serially and air samples were collected from a heavy duty plastic bag covering a leg, before, during and after H2 administration. These samples were checked for H2 concentration immediately by gas chromatography. Multiple physiological parameters and blood chemistry data were collected also. RESULTS: Erythema of these 4 patients and associated symptoms improved significantly after the H2 treatment and did not recur. Administration of H2 did not change physiological parameters and did not cause deterioration of the blood chemistry. The H2 concentration in the blood from the volunteers rapidly increased with H2 inhalation and slowly decreased with cessation of H2 particularly in the venous blood, while H2 concentration of the air from the surface of the leg showed much slower changes even after H2 inhalation was discontinued, at least during the time of sample collection. CONCLUSION: An improvement in acute erythemtous skin diseases followed the administration of H2 enriched fluid without compromising the safety. The H2 delivery study of two volunteers suggested initial direct delivery and additional prolonged delivery possibly from a slowly desaturating reservoir in the skin to the surface.