Narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy in children with moderate-to-severe eczema: a comparative cohort study
Comparative study published in The British journal of dermatology (2014)
Abstract
BACKGROUND: There is only retrospective evidence for the efficacy of narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) in children with eczema. OBJECTIVES: To measure the difference in means for objective scores [Six Area Six Sign Atopic Dermatitis score (SASSAD), percentage surface area] and quality-of-life scores, between patients treated with NB-UVB and unexposed cohorts at the end of treatment, and 3 and 6 months post-treatment. METHODS: Twenty-nine children aged 3-16 years for whom NB-UVB was indicated, were scored prospectively using SASSAD and percentage surface area involvement at baseline, at 12 weeks (end of treatment) and 3 and 6 months post-NB-UVB. Their scores were compared with those of unexposed children (n = 26) for whom NB-UVB phototherapy was indicated and offered, but who chose not to undertake treatment. RESULTS: There was a 61% reduction in mean SASSAD score in the NB-UVB cohort compared with an increase of 6% in the unexposed cohort. Mean SASSAD score for the NB-UVB cohort at the end of treatment was 11.6 vs. 24.8 for the unexposed; difference in means -13.2 [95% confidence interval (CI) -18.7 to -7.7, P < 0.0001]. Mean surface area involvement at the end of treatment was 11% for the NB-UVB cohort vs. 36% for the unexposed cohort; difference in means -25% (95% CI -34% to -16%, P < 0.0001). Subjective and quality-of-life scores showed significant difference between cohorts at the end of treatment (P < 0.05). Objective scores remained significantly lower than in the unexposed cohort 3 and 6 months after treatment. CONCLUSION: NB-UVB is clinically effective and improves quality of life in children with moderate-to-severe eczema. The effect is maintained for 6 months after treatment.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Summary
There is only retrospective evidence for the efficacy of narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) in children with eczema.
Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy
This study evaluated the clinical effectiveness of narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy in children aged 3–16 with moderate-to-severe eczema, measuring objective severity scores (SASSAD, surface area involvement) and quality-of-life outcomes at treatment end and at 3 and 6 months post-treatment. The NB-UVB cohort showed significant improvements compared to an unexposed cohort, with effects maintained at 6 months. This article has no connection to leeches, hirudotherapy, hirudin, or the leech secretome; there is no defensible relevance to ASH's domain. The study concerns dermatological phototherapy for childhood eczema, and no anticoagulant, thrombin inhibitor, or leech-related content appears in the abstract.
Citation
Narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy in children with moderate-to-severe eczema: a comparative cohort study
Darn S et al. · The British journal of dermatology, 2014
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