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Different low doses of broad‐band UVA in the treatment of morphea and systemic sclerosis
Author(s) -
ElMofty M.,
Mostafa W.,
ElDarouty M.,
Bosseila M.,
Nada H.,
Yousef R.,
Esmat S.,
ElLawindy M.,
Assaf M.,
ElEnani G.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
photodermatology, photoimmunology and photomedicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.736
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1600-0781
pISSN - 0905-4383
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0781.2004.00081.x
Subject(s) - morphea , dermatology , scleroderma (fungus) , medicine , pathology , lichen sclerosus , inoculation
Background: Numerous treatment modalities, some with potentially hazardous side effects, are currently used for morphea (M) and systemic sclerosis (SS) with limited success. Low‐dose ultraviolet A (UVA) phototherapy (20 J/cm 2 ) was found to be highly effective for sclerotic patches, even in patients with advanced and rapidly evolving lesions. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of different low doses of UVA in treating patients with M and SS. Methods: Sixty‐three patients complaining of M and 15 patients complaining of SS received 20 sessions of UVA (320–400 nm) each. Patients were divided randomly into three groups that received 5, 10 and 20 J/cm 2 , with cumulative UVA doses of 100, 200, and 400 J/cm 2 , respectively. The efficacy of therapy was judged clinically (by sequential inspection and palpation) and histopathologically by morphometry in M cases. Results: Obvious clinical improvement, with no comparable differences between various low UVA doses, was noted in patients with M and SS, accompanied by histopathological changes towards normalization of collagen. Conclusions: After 20 sessions, it appears that lower doses of UVA (5, 10 J/cm 2 ) are as beneficial as the relatively higher dose (20 J/cm 2 ) in the treatment of M and SS.