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Study Confirms
Effectiveness of Revolutionary Vitiligo Treatment
SCHAUMBURG, IL (July
12, 2001) – Imagine feeling perfectly healthy on the inside,
but on the outside something looks wrong. For millions of people
who suffer from vitiligo, a disease in which patients experience
a complete loss of pigment in localized areas of the skin, this
feeling is one they know all too well.
In a new study by dermatologist
Henry W. Lim, MD, chairman of the department of dermatology at
Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Mich., the effectiveness of
narrow-band UVB (NB-UVB) phototherapy as treatment for vitiligo
was examined in a small sampling of patients. The results of the
study are promising for this often hard-to-treat skin condition.
After completing an average of 19
treatments with NB-UVB phototherapy, five of the seven vitiligo
patients that participated in the study showed greater than 75
percent repigmentation. Additionally, one patient has remained
repigmented 11 months after phototherapy was discontinued.
"The successful repigmentation that
these patients experienced is quite remarkable," explained Dr.
Lim, co-author of "Narrow-Band Ultraviolet B is a Useful and
Well-Tolerated Treatment for Vitiligo" published in the June
2001 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of
Dermatology. "Vitiligo is a difficult skin condition to
treat, and patients are often frustrated because results from
some of the other current treatments are not nearly as
favorable."
Vitiligo is a disease in which
patients have a complete loss of pigment in localized areas of
the skin. These areas, often around the mouth and eyes, become
completely white. As a result, vitiligo can be cosmetically
disfiguring, especially for dark-skinned people.
Vitiligo affects 1 percent to 2
percent of the worldwide population and about half of the people
who develop it do so before the age of 20. About one fifth of
those with vitiligo have a family member with this condition.
Vitiligo usually affects both sides of the body, and although
the cause is generally not known, it is believed to be an
autoimmune process.
During the twelve-month trial
period, 11 patients participated in Dr. Lim’s study. Therapy was
administered three times a week and affected segments of the
body were treated with NB-UVB, a light source that emits a very
narrow spectrum of UVB, the portion of sunlight that causes
sunburn. The dose of radiation was increased by 15 percent for
each treatment. If mild burning, pain or blistering developed,
the irradiation dose was decreased. Once the desirable 75
percent repigmentation was achieved, the frequency of treatments
was tapered to twice a week for four weeks, then weekly for an
additional four weeks.
NB-UVB therapy has several
advantages over other therapies for vitiligo. While topical
corticosteroid therapy has a success rate of 56 percent,
long-term use of corticosteroids can result in thinning of the
skin, stretch marks, and dilation of blood vessels. Another
treatment option is oral or topical psoralen plus UVA (PUVA),
the latter which has a success rate of 51 percent. However,
patients need to ingest or apply psoralen before getting the
light treatment, and long term use of oral PUVA for another skin
disease, psoriasis, has been associated with an increased
incidence of skin cancer.
Presently, there are only a few
centers in the United States that have the capabilities for
NB-UVB therapy; therefore patients undergoing this therapy have
long distances to commute. While NB-UVB therapy has been used in
Europe since the mid-1980s, there has not been any evidence that
it causes an increase in skin cancer. However, because long-term
exposure to ultraviolet light in general is known to cause skin
cancer, patients who choose this therapy should do so only under
the direct supervision of their dermatologist.
"Our findings confirmed that
narrow-band UVB therapy is a useful and well-tolerated treatment
option for patients with vitiligo," says Dr. Lim. "Although more
research needs to be conducted, the successes thus far are
promising to those who suffer from the psychological and
physical effects of vitiligo."
The American Academy of
Dermatology, founded in 1938, is the largest, most influential,
and most representative of all dermatologic associations. With a
membership of over 13,000 dermatologists worldwide, the Academy
is committed to: advancing the science and art of medicine and
surgery related to the skin; advocating high standards in
clinical practice, education, and research in dermatology;
supporting and enhancing patient care; and promoting a lifetime
of healthier skin, hair and nails. For more information, contact
the AAD at 1-888-462-DERM or
www.aad.org |
