Efficacy of therapy with 311nm narrow-band UVB 311nm in the treatment of patients with alopecia areata associated with atopic dermatitis

Introduction . Atopic dermatitis (AD) is among a comorbid conditions in alopecia areata (AA), that influence the risk of development, severity of AA and the immunologic profile of the perifollicular inflammatory process. Narrowband UVB-311 nm, which has been successfully used in AD, is considered as a treatment for AA with limited efficacy, but may contribute to AA regression when combined with other therapies. The anti-inflammatory effect combined with the relative safety make it relevant to study the possibility of using this method in the treatment of AA in children. Aim . To evaluate the efficacy of NB-UVB 311 nm in the complex therapy of pediatric patients with coexisting diseases: AA and AD. Materials and methods . We conducted an open cohort comparative study with 49 patients 5–12 years old (mean age 7.4 ± 0.38 y.o.) with different clinical forms of AA. Group 1 included 22 patients with concomitant AD, group 2 consisted of 27 patients without AD. All patients received standard therapy of AA with topical glucocorticosteroids; patients of the first group also received a course of total NB-UVB 311 nm for the treatment of AD. The response to treatment was evaluated after 3 months and was considered as positive when hair regrowth was more than 30%. Results . In group 1 there was a significant predominance of patients who responded to treatment (77%) compared to group 2 – 48% (OR 3.7; CI [1.05;12.8] p = 0.045); the mean percentage value of SALT index in group 1 decreased by 46% from baseline values, in group 2 – by 26.6%; when comparing the groups by the percentage of alopecia regression p = 0.027. Conclusions . Combined treatment of AA including NB-UVB 311 nm, contributes to the tendency to more intensive hair regrowth. NB-UVB 311 nm can be considered as an additional option in the treatment of AA, associated with AD.