Is Phototherapy Useful in the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis in Asian Children? A 5-Year Report from Singapore

The goal of the current study was to review a cohort of Asian children with atopic dermatitis (AD) treated using phototherapy at a tertiary dermatologic center in Singapore. We performed a retrospective review of patients younger than 16 years old with a clinical diagnosis of AD treated with phototh...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatric dermatology 2014-11, Vol.31 (6), p.698-702
Main Authors: Mok, Zhun-Rui, Koh, Mark Jean-Aan, Chong, Wei-Sheng
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Child
Dermatitis, Atopic - therapy
Female
Humans
Male
Phototherapy - methods
Singapore
Treatment Outcome
Ultraviolet Rays
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Summary:The goal of the current study was to review a cohort of Asian children with atopic dermatitis (AD) treated using phototherapy at a tertiary dermatologic center in Singapore. We performed a retrospective review of patients younger than 16 years old with a clinical diagnosis of AD treated with phototherapy at the National Skin Center, Singapore, over a 5‐year period from 2004 to 2008. Twenty‐five patients were identified who were ages 7 to 15 years at the time they underwent phototherapy, with equal sex distribution. The duration of disease ranged from 2 to 14 years. Most patients had extensive disease involving more than 70% of their body surface area. Fifteen patients were treated with narrowband ultraviolet B (NBUVB) phototherapy, with 10 (66%) showing improvement of symptoms. The duration of therapy was 3 to 30 months (mean 11 mos), with a mean of 60 treatment sessions (range 12–104). Nine patients were treated with combined ultraviolet A (UVA) and NBUVB phototherapy. Five patients (55%) improved, with four having good response and one having mild improvement. The duration of therapy was 1–6 months (mean 3.6 mos), with an average of 22 treatment sessions (range 10–44). Two patients underwent combined UVA/broad‐band UVB (BBUVB) phototherapy. Both had worsening of disease requiring cessation of treatment. Phototherapy is a useful adjunct in the treatment of moderate to severe AD in children. More than half of the patients treated with NBUVB or combined UVA and NBUVB improved with phototherapy, but the usefulness of combined UVA and BBUVB requires further evaluation.
ISSN:0736-8046
1525-1470
DOI:10.1111/pde.12405