Effects of the starting time of narrow band UVB phototherapy on the treatment of pityriasis rosea = Effects of the starting time of narrow band UVB phototherapy on the treatment of pityriasis rosea

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Background: Pityriasis rosea(PR) has been considered to be caused by human herpes virus 7, and all the patients have self-limiting course. The disease usually persist for 4 - 10 weeks and resolves by 8 weeks in most patients. Because of its self-limiting course, many physicians do not treat PR actively.
Objectives: This study was conducted to explore how the starting time of narrow band UVB phototherapy affects the therapeutic effects in the PR.
Methods: Retrospective chart review was conducted for the patients visiting the department of dermatology. Patients who had been diagnosed as PR and treated with NBUVB-PT were included. Patients who had taken oral corticosteroids were excluded. 50 patients were allocated into two groups by the starting time of NBUVB-PT. In the patients in group A(n=25) NBUVB-PT had been started within 2 weeks after onset of disease. The patients in group B(n=25) had been treated after 2 weeks of the illness. NBUVB-PT had been performed two or three times a week until a significant improvement had been achieved.
Results: There was no significant difference in the treatment duration between group A(3.96weeks) and group B(4.32weeks). The disease duration of group A(5.52weeks) was significantly shorter than that of group B(8.72weeks)(P<0.001).
Conclusion: Although PR is mostly resolved spontaneously, the early treatment with NBUVB-PT can shorten the disease duration, so relieve the discomfort of the patients from skin rash and accompanying symptoms more quickly.