[Photosensitization due to drugs: adverse reaction and beneficial effect]. / Photosensibilisierung durch Arzneistoffe. Unerwünschte Wirkung und therapeutischer Effekt.

In all areas of everyday life men get in touch with photosensitizers which increase the susceptibility to solar light. Dermal reactions arise after exposure to a photosensitizer and light. Quality and intensity depend on the compound and the radiation dose. Many drugs provoke these responses appearing as an adverse reaction during conventional treatment or as beneficial effect in the context of photodynamic therapy (PDT) or photochemotherapy (PUVA, ECP). Basic mechanisms and clinical aspects are reviewed.