THURSDAY, Dec. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Localized, plaque-type psoriasis responds well to treatment using targeted UV-B phototherapy, according to a study published in the December issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
Pravit Asawanonda, M.D., and colleagues from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, conducted a randomized, evaluator-blind study of 14 patients with stable psoriasis. The patients were assigned to receive different fluences of targeted UV-B phototherapy three days a week for four weeks based on predetermined minimal erythema doses (MEDs).
Patients showed some clinical improvement with all fluences of UV-B, ranging from one to six times MED and the treatment was well-tolerated. In some patients, lesions were completely cleared and in those treated with six MEDs there was clearance in 77% of patients. For those treated with two to six MEDs, 5.0 to 6.1 rounds of treatment were required to clear lesions. There were mild adverse effects, including erythema and hyperpigmentation.
"Targeted UV-B phototherapy is a safe and convenient way to deliver light specifically to psoriatic lesions and will be of great benefit to patients who have localized, recalcitrant disease for which other conventional treatments have failed. Also, it may be useful for psoriasis in certain areas, for example, the scalp and for inverse psoriasis," the authors conclude.
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