A comparison of six and 12 PUVA treatments in the prophylaxis of polymorphic light eruption.

ABSTRACT

Polymorphic light eruption (PLE) is a common condition for which the most effective treatment is prophylactic phototherapy. This is traditionally given in courses of approximately 12-15 exposures. We compared the effect of six and 12 treatments of psoralen-UVA (PUVA) therapy, in the prophylaxis of PLE, in a side-to-side within-patient comparison pilot study. In six out of eight patients, six treatments provided as much protection as 12 treatments. Five of these six patients had reported relatively mild disease in the previous year, in comparison to the other two patients. In view of the inconvenience and increased incidence of adverse effects associated with long treatment courses, we recommend the use of short courses, particularly in patients who are relatively mildly affected.