H Lee1, H Chu1, S H Oh1. 1. Department of Dermatology, Severance Hospital, Cutaneous Biology Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Phototherapy is the preferred treatment modality for active and generalized vitiligo. One of the widely accepted consensus on starting dose of phototherapy is using a uniform dose of 280 mJ/cm2 regardless of patients' Fitzpatrick skin phototype (SPT). However, in many clinical experiences with Asian vitiligo patients, the protocol seems suboptimal. OBJECTIVE: To gather more evidence on establishing a higher starting dosage for Asian vitiligo patients undergoing phototherapy. METHODS: We enrolled generalized vitiligo patients with lesions sized adequate enough for phototest. Minimal erythema dose (MED) of vitiligo lesion and non-lesion was measured along with melanin index (MI). RESULTS: Relatively, a wide range of MED and MI was observed even among patients with similar SPT. The range of MED for lesional skin was 300-700 mJ/cm2 and the MED for non-lesion was 500-800 mJ/cm2 . Correlation was noted between lesional MED and non-lesional MI (Spearman correlation, ρ = 0.664 [P < 0.036]) and mean lesional MED was approximately 65% of mean non-lesional MED. CONCLUSION: Results from phototest and tolerability of patients to doses higher than 280 mJ/cm2 may indicate that higher starting doses might be appropriate for Asian vitiligo patients.
BACKGROUND: Phototherapy is the preferred treatment modality for active and generalized vitiligo. One of the widely accepted consensus on starting dose of phototherapy is using a uniform dose of 280 mJ/cm2 regardless of patients' Fitzpatrick skin phototype (SPT). However, in many clinical experiences with Asian vitiligo patients, the protocol seems suboptimal. OBJECTIVE: To gather more evidence on establishing a higher starting dosage for Asian vitiligo patients undergoing phototherapy. METHODS: We enrolled generalized vitiligo patients with lesions sized adequate enough for phototest. Minimal erythema dose (MED) of vitiligo lesion and non-lesion was measured along with melanin index (MI). RESULTS: Relatively, a wide range of MED and MI was observed even among patients with similar SPT. The range of MED for lesional skin was 300-700 mJ/cm2 and the MED for non-lesion was 500-800 mJ/cm2 . Correlation was noted between lesional MED and non-lesional MI (Spearman correlation, ρ = 0.664 [P < 0.036]) and mean lesional MED was approximately 65% of mean non-lesional MED. CONCLUSION: Results from phototest and tolerability of patients to doses higher than 280 mJ/cm2 may indicate that higher starting doses might be appropriate for Asian vitiligo patients.
Authors: Y Tan; F Wang; G Fan; Y Zheng; B Li; N Li; Y Liu; X Wang; W Liu; J Krutmann; Y Zou; S Wang Journal: J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol Date: 2020-02-27 Impact factor: 6.166