A retrospective analysis of the efficacy and safety of phototherapy in pediatric dermatoses
TURKDERM-TURKISH ARCHIVES OF DERMATOLOGY AND VENEROLOGY, cilt.60, sa.3, ss.128-134, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus, TRDizin)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 60 Sayı: 3
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.4274/turkderm.galenos.2026.69057
- Dergi Adı: TURKDERM-TURKISH ARCHIVES OF DERMATOLOGY AND VENEROLOGY
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.128-134
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Background and Design: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of phototherapy in pediatric patients receiving treatment for Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of pediatric patients under 18 years of age who received narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy between 2013 and 2023. Collected data included age, gender, dermatologic diagnosis, number of phototherapy sessions, treatment responses, and adverse events during therapy. Results: A total of 76 patients, aged between 6 and 17 years (mean age: 12.01 +/- 3.47 years), were included in the study. Of these, 40 were male, and 36 were female. The most common diagnoses were vitiligo (n=27, 35.5%), psoriasis vulgaris (n=25, 32.9%), and atopic dermatitis (AD) (n=9, 11.8%), with the remaining patients presenting with less common dermatoses. The mean cumulative phototherapy dose was 58.2 +/- 51.6 J/cm2 for vitiligo, 38.47 +/- 34.63 J/cm2 for psoriasis vulgaris, and 11.95 +/- 8.78 J/cm2 for AD. A complete or near-complete clinical response was observed in 14 patients with vitiligo (51.8%), 16 patients with psoriasis (64%), and 2 patients with AD (22.2%). The most frequent reasons for treatment discontinuation were non-compliance (n=16, 21%) and treatment failure (n=7, 9.2%). The most commonly reported adverse effect was phototherapy-induced burns, observed in 4 patients (5.2%). Conclusion: While the long-term safety of phototherapy in children has not been fully established, the findings of this study indicate that NB-UVB is generally well tolerated. Phototherapy is a therapeutic option for pediatric patients with inflammatory dermatoses before the initiation of immunosuppressive treatments.