ABSTRACT

Pityriasis Likenoides (PL) is an inflammatory skin disease with unknown cause. Currently, the disease is considered as one of the rare indications of narrowband ultraviolet (UV) B and is treated in phototherapy units. However, literature about treatment results is still limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of narrowband UVB therapy for PL and also to compare these results with other study results.

Patients who were diagnosed with pityriasis lichenoides chronica (PLK) or pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA) clinically and histopathologically and treated with narrowband UVB in our phototherapy unit through 2000 to 2011 were evaluated retrospectively.

Three of the patients were diagnosed with PLEVA, and also 14 of them as PLK through the group of 17 patients included in the study. Four patients (23.5%) had complete response, 6 (35.3%) had prominent response, 4 (23.5%) had partial response and 3 (17.7%) were unresponsive after a mean of 36.9 sessions. Eight patients could be reached, in this group 7 patients did not have a relapse in the 41.4 months period and only one patient had a relapse 24 weeks after treatment.

It was assumed that narrowband UVB was a safe treatment method for PL.