The polymorphic phototest reaction.

One hundred tem patients with polymorphic light eruption (PMLE) and 58 control subjects were tested with an overdose of erythemogenic radiation. A morphologically abnormal phototest reaction was demonstrable in 72% of the patients with PMLE and in 9% of the control subjects. On the average, a dose of 3.8 times the patient's minimal erythemal dose was needed to produce the reaction. The most common findings in positive phototest reaction sites were edema and itching. A medium-pressure mercury lamp was shown to be as effective as a xenon arc lamp in producing the phototest reaction. The time of the reaction varied considerably in different patients, and frequent inspections of test sites were necessary to detect positive phototest reactions. When properly performed and interpreted, phototesting is a valuable diagnostic procedure for PMLE.