Blue Light Therapy: A Natural Aid for Dupuytren’s Disease?

This study explored a potential new treatment for Dupuytren’s Disease (DD), a condition causing stiff, bent fingers: Dupuytrens Blue Light Therapy Study

The treatment process is based on scientific laboratory experiments done in vitro (meaning in petri dishes on human fibroblast cells, not on living people).

Here’s what each part means in plain English:

👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏻Participants:

• The study involved tissue samples from 19 patients with Dupuytren’s disease (1 female, 18 males), mean age 63 years), and 17 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).
  
   
• The CTS group served as a control, meaning their tissue was considered normal for comparison.   

⚕ Health Condition:

• Dupuytren’s disease is a disorder of the hand where tissue in the palm thickens and tightens, leading to fingers bending and losing movement.
  
   

🔵 Blue Light Therapy Treatment:

• Wavelength 453 nm (±10 nm).
• Power density 38 mW/cm² = How strong the light was hitting the cells (moderate intensity).
• Dose 40 J/cm² = How much total energy the cells received.
• Equipment = A specialised LED light panel made by Philips Research

⏳ Treatment Duration

• 16.7 minutes per blue light session per day.
• Done daily for 3 or 5 days depending on the experiment.

✅ Results:

• The study found that blue light therapy treatment reduced the production of a protein (alpha-SMA) involved in the tissue thickening of Dupuytren’s disease.
• The treatment also affected levels of certain enzymes that manage cell-damaging molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS).
  
   

Conclusion:

• The authors suggest that blue light therapy could be a potential treatment for Dupuytren’s disease by impacting specific proteins and the balance of ROS in cells.

Follow-up:

• The study was conducted in a lab setting using cells. More research is needed to confirm these findings in actual patients and determine the long-term effects of blue light therapy for Dupuytren’s disease.