COMPARISON OF NARROW-BAND UVB (311- nm) AND PSORALEN-UVB (311- nm) IN THE TREATMENT OF VITILIGO

Abstract

Narrow band UVB has been suggested as a safe and effective treatment modality for vitiligo. The use ofNB-UVB together with oral psoralen was shown effective in psoriasis, but has not been tried in vitiligo. The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of using NB-UVB with and without psoralen in vitiligo. Twenty vitiligo patients were the subjects of the study, eighteen of which completed the 48-sessions treatment period. At the end of the study, about 40% of patient on both regimens showed good to very good response. Disease duration was directly proportional to the degree of response. The cumulative UVB dose used was significantly lower in the psoralen treated side. Skin type, extent of the lesion, previous treatment, positive family history, predisposing factors and patient's compliance had no significant effect on the outcome of therapy. Results show that both NB-UVB and psoralen plus NB­ UVB were effective in vitiligo.