الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Pityriasis rosea is a common benign, self-limited, acute skin disease. The exact aetiology of PR is unknown. However, many studies strongly suggest a systemic immune inflammatory response triggered by a viral agent. Symptoms may be mild or absent and the rash is limited, but in many cases, the rash is extensive and causes much embarrassment to the patients and is associated with distressing pruritus. Although NB-UVB proved to be more effective and safer than BB-UVB in treatment of many dermatosis, it has not been evaluated in treatment of PR. We initiated a comparative control study to evaluate the efficacy of NB-UVB for treatment of PR patients. The results of NB-UVB exposure in one group were compared with those in a well matched control group receiving no treatment apart from emollients. The study showed the high efficacy of NB-UVB in relieving pruritus and in shortening the course of the disease. It also showed that cases with typical PR have much more better results than those with atypical PR. This is in agreement with the results of other studies which showed that atypical PR is more resistant to treatment than typical PR and needs longer period of time for complete resolution of lesions. In conclusion, and despite the fact that PR is a self-limited disease, shortening the clinical course of PR and rapid relief of the associated pruritus with NB-UVB exposure, making patients greatly satisfied with the rapid cure, provide the basis for its recommendation as a treatment modality in PR. |