Impact on Quality of Life in Vitiligo Patients Treated with Narrowband Ultraviolet B Phototherapy

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/cm(2) in adults and 150 mJ/cm(2) 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/cm(2). 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.