RESUMEN
Background: Trigeminal neuralgia is one of the most disabling facial pain syndromes. In recent years' new therapeutic strategy, incobotulinumtoxin A has emerged. The aim of the current study was to determine the time and duration of pain in 3 cases with pharmacological treatment and incobotulinumtoxin A. Case presentation: In three patients with different onsets, trigeminal neuralgia was diagnosed. Pain severity was assessed by the visual analogue scale. Patient demographics and clinical data were filled in a checklist. They were females with age ranging from 39 to 49 years. Two patients had normal MRI and one patient had no any recent MRI. One center and specialist injection Xeomin 50 units for one time. Despite long time oral treatment, their symptoms had no significant improvement, but after incobotulinumtoxin A injection, pain frequency, severity and duration decreased in patients. Conclusion: Result showed that the frequency, severity and duration of pain attacks was efficiently decreased by incobotulinumtoxin A with low side-effects. Its complication and side-effect should be considered in the future.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy has been used as a common treatment for dermatologic diseases such as psoriasis and vitiligo and generally considered a safe form of therapy during pregnancy. Invitro photodegradation of folate after exposure to UVB radiation has been documented but studies on UVB-induced alternation of serum folate level have reported inconsistent results. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of NB-UVB radiation on serum folate level. METHODS: In this study, serum folate levels were evaluated in patients at baseline and after 30 sessions of NB-UVB irradiation. RESULTS: Twenty patients completed the study: 10 psoriasis, 7 vitiligo and 3 mycosis fungoides (patch stage). Mean serum folate level had significantly decreased from 2.76±0.59 ng/ml at baseline to 1.34±0.15 ng/ml after 30 sessions. (Mean NB-UVB cumulative dose 40.35±16.80 j/cm2, P=0.001). CONCLUSION: Serum folate levels may decrease after long-term NB-UVB phototherapy in patients with skin disorders.