The impact of therapeutic modalities on patients with atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and vitiligo treated with phototherapy in the Jagiellonian University Outpatient Clinic

Pol Merkur Lekarski. 2019 Mar 28;46(273):125-129.

Abstract

Phototherapy involves repeated exposure of the skin to ultraviolet light and is commonly used in various dermatological diseases such as: psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and vitiligo. It constitutes a highly preferable treatment modality due to acceptable benefit/risk ratio.

Aim: The aim of the study is to characterize parameters such as: number of PUVA or NB-UVB sessions, cumulative doses of phototherapy, values of minimal erythema doses (MED), periods of the year during phototherapy sessions in patients with vitiligo, atopic dermatitis and psoriasis attending the Jagiellonian University Outpatient Clinic.

Materials and methods: This was a retrospective study of 50 Caucasian patients who attended the Department of Dermatology of the Jagiellonian University Outpatient Clinic over a period of one and a half years (from November 2016 to May 2018).

Results: We report that PUVA-therapy is more effective in achieving complete remission (CR) of skin lesions in patients with atopic dermatitis and vitiligo, compared to NB-UVB irradiations. In all patients enrolled to the study, apart from psoriatic patients treated with NB-UVB, the cumulative doses of UVA+P/NB-UVB were significantly higher during autumn/winter time than spring/summer time. Patients with vitiligo required higher cumulative doses and they needed more phototherapy sessions regardless the method of phototherapy in order to achieve CR, compared to other patients. The patients with psoriasis required, statistically significant, faster NB-UVB dose enhancement in order to maintain the efficacy of treatment than those with other diseases.

Conclusions: Phototherapy constitutes an efficient, safe and accessible (in Poland and many other countries) method of therapy but there is still much to be discovered about the factors that affect its efficacy. Finding out more data relating to this issue could enable more effective treatment planning for particular patients and it would have an important economic impact.

Keywords: NB-UVB; PUVA; atopic dermatitis; phototherapy; psoriasis; vitiligo.

MeSH terms

  • Ambulatory Care Facilities
  • Dermatitis, Atopic* / therapy
  • Humans
  • Phototherapy
  • Poland
  • Psoriasis* / therapy
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Ultraviolet Therapy*
  • Vitiligo* / therapy