Context: Vitiligo is a psychosocial problem which significantly affects quality of life in Indian scenario. Aims: The purpose of this study was to compare the changes in quality of life in patients of vitiligo before and after treatment with narrowband ultraviolet B (NBUVB) phototherapy. Subjects and Methods: A total of 54 patients had completed the study. The age ranged between 16 and 70 years with a mean age of 26.77±14.2 years. The initial dose of NBUVB was 300 mJ/cm2 in adults and 150 mJ/cm2 in children twice weekly with 20% dose increment on subsequent visits. It was given for a maximum period of 6 months and was followed up for another 6 months to determine stability of repigmentation. Results: The average number of exposure given to the patients was 45.63±12.74 while the mean irradiation cumulative dose was 39.8 J/cm2. Mean Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) of the vitiligo patients was 8.64±4.32 while those patients with acrofacial vitiligo had a mean DLQI of 11.78±5.61. After treatment with NBUVB, mean DLQI of all vitiligo patients was significantly reduced to 5.86±2.15 (P<0.01). Conclusions: This study showed that phototherapy had a positive therapeutic outcome in vitiligo, especially in younger patients. Even a small, depigmented lesion in a child could be psychosocially devastating.

Context: Vitiligo is a psychosocial problem which significantly affects quality of life in Indian scenario. Aims: The purpose of this study is to estimate the efficacy of narrow band UVB as a treatment modality, assess the stability of disease after treatment as well as to compare the change in quality of life in patients having vitiligo, before and after treatment with narrow band UVB. Settings and Design: A prospective, open and non-randomised study. Methods and Material: Total 0f 54 patients have completed study aged 16-70 years with a mean age of 26.77+14.2 years. The initial dose was 300 mJ/cm 2 in adults and 150 mJ/cm 2 in children, twice weekly with NBUVB along with 20% dose increment on subsequent visits given for a maximum period of 6 months and were followed upto 6 months to determine stability of repigmentation. Results: Mean of average no. of exposure given to the patients was 45.63+12.74 while the mean irradiation cumulative dose was 39.8 J/cm2. Mean DLQI of the vitiligo patients was 8.64+4.32 while those patients with acrofacialvitiligo had a mean DLQI of 11.78+5.61. After treatment with NBUVB, mean DLQI of all vitiligo patients was reduced to 5.86+2.15 with p<0.01, which was highly significant. Conclusions: This study shows that phototherapy has a positive therapeutic outcome in vitiligo, especially in younger patients. Even a small, depigmented lesion in a child can be psychosocially devastating.

Introduction. Omega-3 fatty acids are largely derived from fish oils and are known to decrease inflammation. There have been a few small studies showing the beneficial effect of omega-3 fatty acids in psoriasis.Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids in conjunction with emollients in patients with mild to moderate chronic plaque psoriasis.Materials and methods. A total of 200 clinically diagnosed cases of chronic plaque psoriasis with less than 10% of body surface area involvement were recruited and divided into group A and group B. Group A was given 1,800 mg daily of omega-3 fatty acids in three divided oral doses and topical paraffin over the lesions. Group B was prescribed only topical paraffin. At the end of 12 weeks, treatment response was assessed by means of Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI), and by its components including area involved, erythema, induration and desquamation scores.Results. The mean PASI score changed from 7.44 to 3.96 in group A, and from 7.24 to 5.19 in group B. There was a statistically significant difference in PASI, erythema, induration, desquamation scores and area involved between the two groups after 12 weeks. Forty four (46.3%) patients in group A and 13 (13.9%) patients in group B achieved a 50% or more reduction in PASI scores.Conclusions. Omega-3 fatty acids in conjunction with topical emollients appear to reduce the severity of psoriasis with no major side effects. The combination can be a useful adjunct to other psoriasis treatments.