Journal of

Background and Aim: Vitiligo is a common skin disorder that presents as depigmented patchs and associated with psychosocial morbidity. Photochemotherapy with methoxsalen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) is an effective and commonly used modality in treatment of vitiligo and is available in Khorasan Province since more than ten years ago.
Methods: This uncontrolled clinical trial included patients with vitiligo referred to phototherapy center in Emam Reza Hospital in Mashhad during 1998-1999. Treatment was done topically on patients with involvement less than 2% of the body area and systemic in cases with involvement more than that. Data including improvement rate and side effects were analyzed by SPSS software version 11.5.
Results: One-hundred and thirty-five patients, 79 female and 56 male, were enrolled.  One-hundred and twenty-six patients were treated systemically and 9 patients underwent topical therapy. Complete (100%) repigmentation was observed in one patient. Repigmentation of 80-99%, 60-79%, 40-59%, 20-39% and less than 20% were observed in 53, 43, 12, 6 and 20 patients respectively. Results were significantly better in generalized vitiligo, face involvement, and cases whom recieved more than 200 treatment sessions, but there was not significant relationship between improvement and patients' age, family history, the first involved area, beginning time of repigmentation, the observed interval between initiation of treatment and disorder appearance, and skin type. Common side effects were pruritus (69.6%), erythema (52.6%), nausea and vomiting (28.9%), and headache (17.8%).
Conclusion: PUVA therapy is an effective and safe treatment in patients with vitiligo, and has good results in nonsegmental vitiligo and facial involvement.

Background and Aim: Vitiligo is a common pigmentary disorder that melanocytes are destroyed. Treatment of vitiligo depends on the extent of the disease and its distribution pattern. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of PUVA and NBUVB in patients with vitiligo.

Methods: A clinical trial has been performed on 60 patients with vitiligo referred to Bouali hospital and Mehrgan laser center in 1392 and treated with UVB and PUVA therapy methods. In first group treated with PUVA, oral tablets containing 8-methoxypsoralen were taken 3 hours before phototherapy twice a week. The second group was treated with NBUVB twice a week.

Results: In patients treated with PUVA, 40% and in patients treated with NBUVB, 43.3% were male. Seventeen (56.7%) of patients treated with PUVA had generalized vitiligo, 30% of them had segmental Vitiligo and 13.3% had focal Vitiligo.  Seventeen (56.7%) patients that were treated with NBUVB generalized vitiligo, 30% had segmental and 10% had focal vitiligo. Repigmentation was significantly higher in patients treated with NBUVB than PUVA 3 and 6 months after initiation of treatment (P<0.05).

Conclusion: NBUVB is superior to PUVA in treatment complications and its recovery rate was acceptable.