The technologies integrated into the phototherapy for the treatment the children suffering from the severe forms of psoriasis

Abstract

The last decades have witnessed the increased frequency of the cases of the severe clinical course of psoriasis in the children. The application of systemic immunosuppressive therapy for the treatment of such patients is limited due to the serious adverse reactions especially pronounced when such medicines as methotrexate, acitretin, and cyclosporine are prescribed. For this reason, the investigations aimed at the evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of the non-pharmacological therapeutic modalities including phototherapeutic technologies appear to be highly promising. In this context, the treatment of psoriasis with the use of ultraviolet radiation may find the wide application for the management of many dermatological problems provided it is performed under reliable control. The present study included 25 patients at the age below 18 years presenting with the severe forms of psoriasis and resistance to traditional pharmacotherapy. All of them were prescribed the combined treatment that consisted of EHF-therapy in the 311 nm frequency range together with the topical application of calcipotriol. This treatment was shown to be highly efficient and safe enough as far as the predictable early side effects are concerned. In the case of the torpid response of the disease to the standard therapy, it is recommended to prescribe the combined treatment with the use of 311 nm UVB-irradiation and the topical application of calcipotriol. The effectiveness of this therapeutic modality may be higher than 90%. None of the children treated in this way developed an early adverse reaction. The results of the present study give reason to recommend this approach as the method of choice for the treatment of the widespread forms of psoriasis affecting the children.