Vopr Kurortol Fizioter Lech Fiz Kult. 1997 Jul-Aug; (4): 14-6.

[A clinical and experimental analysis of the effects of laser therapy]

Polushina ND, GrinzaÄd IuM, Shliapak EA, Evseeva SN, Mel'nikova VI.

Thymus area was exposed to laser radiation in 180 Wistar male rats. Intact animals experienced a stress response to a single laser procedure (a rise in the levels of hydrocortisone, a fall in those of insulin, triiodothyronine and thyroxine). Longer exposure to laser radiation caused a break of the hydrocortisone mechanism. Similar effects were seen in the course exposure. The immune system was unchanged. In adjuvant arthritis laser radiation induced similar hormonal shifts and additional suppression of immunity. In 82 children with active juvenile rheumatoid arthritis laser therapy produced an insignificant effect, while in adults with moderate rheumatoid arthritis the response was good.