Narrowband UVB phototherapy for small plaque parapsoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Narrowband UVB (NB-UVB) phototherapy has been shown to be effective for the treatment of various dermatoses.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effects of NB-UVB phototherapy for small plaque parapsoriasis (SPP).

METHODS: The response of 45 patients (24 females, 21 males, age range 20-58 years) with histologically confirmed SPP were assessed. NB-UVB therapy was given 3-4 times weekly. The initial treatment dose was 70% of the minimal erythema dose. The doses were increased gradually with a standard increment of 20/10/0. Clinical response was determined as follows: complete response (CR), at least 90% clearing of skin lesions; partial response (PR), at least 50% but less than 90% clearing and no response (NR), less than 50% clearing. The follow-up period was 6-24 months after the treatment.

RESULTS: NB-UVB treatment led to CR in 33 of 45 patients (73.3%) with a mean cumulative dose of 14.3 J/cm(2) (range 3.2-24.1 J/cm(2)) after a mean number of 29 exposures (range 16-51 sessions); PR in 12 of 45 (26.6%) with a cumulative dose of 15.6 J/cm(2) (range 10.4-23.3 J/cm(2)) after a mean number of 29.4 exposures (range 25-50 sessions). Nineteen patients with CR had skin phototype II, 13 had type III and 1 had type I. Among the patients with PR, 7 had skin phototype II and 5 had type III. Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation was observed in 51% of the patients. Relapses occurred in six patients within a mean time of 7.5 months (2-12 months).

CONCLUSION: NB-UVB phototherapy has several advantages over treatment with broadband UVB and PUVA. NB-UVB therapy for patients with SPP is an effective, safe and practical alternative treatment modality. Further larger studies with longer follow-up periods are necessary to determine the proper clinical response and long-term complications of NB-UVB therapy in this disease.