OBJECTIVE: Prurigo nodularis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by highly pruritic nodular lesions that cause constant itching and scratching and significant quality-of-life impairment. It has been described in a range of conditions, including skin diseases (mainly atopic dermatitis) and metabolic, neurological, and psychiatric disorders. The pathophysiological mechanisms are largely unknown. Various modalities of phototherapy have been described as appropriate and safe treatments for achieving clinical control and alleviating symptoms. In this article, we describe our experience with phototherapy in patients with prurigo nodularis.
METHODS: Retrospective observational study of patients who received their first cycle of phototherapy to treat prurigo nodularis between March 2011 and October 2019. Information was collected on epidemiological and clinical characteristics, concomitant treatments, type and duration of phototherapy, maximum dose reached, and response to treatment.
RESULTS: We studied 44 patients (30 women and 14 men) with a median age of 65.5years. The most common form of phototherapy used was narrowband UV-B phototherapy (34 cycles, 77.27%) followed by a combination of UV-B and UV-A phototherapy (8 cycles). Response to treatment was considered satisfactory (clearance rate of ≥75%) in 24 patients (55.4%).
CONCLUSIONS: Phototherapy is a suitable treatment for prurigo nodularis in a considerable proportion of patients. It can be used as monotherapy or combined with other treatments.

BACKGROUND: Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma in adults and children. The prevalence has increased in some countries, but no descriptive studies of MF in the pediatric population have been done in Colombia to date.
METHODS: A combined prospective-retrospective study of 128 patients with a diagnosis of MF confirmed by the dermatology department and dermatopathology laboratory of Universidad de Antioquia between 2008 and 2017. We describe the clinical and histopathologic variants, response to treatment, and progression of the disease in 23 patients under 18 years of age.
RESULTS: The pediatric cases of MF accounted for 18% of all the cases on record. The median age of onset of lesions was 9 years, the median age at diagnosis was 11 years, and the median time between onset of lesions and diagnosis was 2 years. All patients were in early stages of the disease. Hypopigmented MF was the most common clinical presentation (in 52.2%), followed by classical MF (in 30.4%). Folliculotropic MF was identified in 17.4%. All patients were treated with topical corticosteroids and phototherapy. One patient received chemotherapy while still in the early stage of disease. Complete remission was achieved in 59.1% and a partial response in 40.9%. Only 2 patients remained asymptomatic for 5 years.
CONCLUSIONS: We found hypopigmented MF to be the most common clinical presentation in patients under 18 years of age. The disease did not progress to advanced stages in any of the patients, although recurrence after treatment interruption was common.

BACKGROUND: Phototherapy involves the use of UV radiation to treat different dermatologic diseases. Its efficacy and safety have been thoroughly established in adults and some publications indicate that it is also an effective and safe treatment in pediatric patients with refractory skin diseases.
METHODS: Retrospective study that included all patients under 17 years of age and 122 randomly selected adults who received phototherapy in our department between 2002 and 2017.
RESULTS: Ninety-eight pediatric patients (61% girls and 39% boys) with a mean age of 10.5 years received phototherapy. The 3 most frequently treated diseases were psoriasis (48% of patients), vitiligo (17%), and atopic dermatitis (16%). Eighty-six percent of the patients received phototherapy with narrowband UV-B, whereas 7% received phototherapy with psoralen and UV-A (PUVA). No statistically significant differences were found in terms of dosage, duration, or number of sessions compared to the adult population treated with narrowband UV-B therapy or PUVA. A complete response was achieved in 35% of the pediatric patients and no differences were found with respect to the adults. Only 16% of the children showed adverse effects, mostly in the form of mild erythema. We found greater adherence to treatment in the pediatric patients than in the adult patients (P<.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Narrowband UV-B therapy and PUVA appear to be safe and effective in children and can be administered using the same treatment protocols as those used in adults. Adherence to treatment is greater in children than in adult patients.

Generalized lichen planus can be difficult to treat. One alternative for patients who do not respond to common topical and systemic treatments, such as corticosteroids and oral antihistamines, is phototherapy. Narrowband UV-B phototherapy offers several advantages and is currently the main treatment modality. In this study, we present the results corresponding to 10 patients with generalized lichen planus treated with narrowband UV-B phototherapy. We performed a prospective study of adult patients with generalized lichen planus affecting more than 20% of their body surface area. A complete response was observed in 8 patients (80%) and the disease recurred in 2 of these (recurrence rate, 25%). These rates are similar to those reported in the literature reviewed. Narrowband UV-B phototherapy is a widely used alternative to systemic treatments in GLP, but there are very few reports of its results in the literature.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal jaundice is common, especially in premature infants. Compliance with treatment protocols and standard serum bilirubin curves forces the clinician to separate the child from the mother after birth for short phototherapy. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of two innovative devices for phototherapy including a LED light mesh: one sleeping bag and one blanket compared to conventional hospital or ambulatory phototherapy.
METHODS: Two randomised clinical trials were conducted: one with newborns >2,000g at birth in the Neonatal Care Unit and the other with premature infants followed-up in an outpatient clinic (PMC). The gold standard for bilirubin measurement was serum bilirubin, and ambulatory controls were performed with the Bilicheck®. Parents and health personnel completed a questionnaire on comfort and perceptions.
RESULTS: In the study using the bag, a linear regression was performed for the decrease in bilirubin in mg/dL/h, controlling by early jaundice (<36h) and the device type. The results were similar between the 2 devices. For the blanket trial in the PMC, the decrease in bilirubin levels with the new device was significantly greater with no differences in temperatures, duration of phototherapy, re-admission, mortality, or side effects for both trials. Parents and staff satisfaction with the two devices was identical for the 2 trials.
CONCLUSIONS: These 2 small studies add a \'grain of sand\' to humanisation of newborn care, avoiding the mother-and-child separation for both the intra-hospital high-risk hyperbilirubinaemia, as well as for the lower-risk hyperbilirubinaemia in an outpatient clinic.

BACKGROUND: T-cell lymphoid dyscrasia is a group of different, infrequent, epitheliotropic inflammatory dermatosis that precede cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. Treatment with ultraviolet radiation is safe and efficacious.
OBJECTIVE: To describe responses to treatment, secondary effects and complications.
METHODS: Eleven patients with different T-cell lymphoid dyscrasias were treated. Two received psoralens plus ultraviolet A radiation (PUVA) and nine narrow band ultraviolet B radiation (NB-UVB).
RESULTS: Seven women and four men from 5 to 30 years-old and phototypes III and IV were included. They had hypopigmented epitheliotropic lymphoid dyscrasia, chronic pityriasis lichenoides, hypopigmented parapsoriasis and pigmented purpuric dermatoses. Two received PUVA and 9 NB-UVB. Eight achieved complete response and three partial response with 10 to 119 sessions. Any patient presented neither relapse nor progression to cutaneous T-cell lymphoma during treatment or in the follow up period after 34 to 247 sessions. Secondary effects were xerosis and mild pruritus.
CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients with T-cell lymphoid dyscrasias can be successfully and safely treated with minimal secondary effects after a variable number of sessions and periods of time with ultraviolet radiation.
UNASSIGNED: Las discrasias linfoides epiteliotrópicas de células T son un grupo de dermatosis inflamatorias poco frecuentes que pueden progresar a linfomas cutáneos. El tratamiento con radiación ultravioleta ha sido descrito como seguro y eficaz.
OBJECTIVE: Describir la respuesta al tratamiento, sus efectos secundarios y complicaciones.
UNASSIGNED: Se administró radiación ultravioleta A con psoralenos (PUVA) a dos pacientes y radiación ultravioleta B de banda estrecha (NB-UVB) a nueve pacientes, con diferentes discrasias.
RESULTS: Conformaron la serie siete mujeres y cuatro hombres, con edades de 5 a 30 años y con fototipos III y IV, con diagnóstico de discrasia linfoide epiteliotrópica hipopigmentada, pitiriasis liquenoide crónica, parapsoriasis hipopigmentada y púrpura pigmentada. Dos recibieron PUVA y nueve recibieron NB-UVB. Ocho alcanzaron respuesta completa y tres respuesta parcial con 10 a 119 sesiones de tratamiento. Ningún paciente presentó reactivación de la enfermedad después de 34 a 247 sesiones, y ninguno en tratamiento o seguimiento evolucionó a linfoma cutáneo. Los efectos secundarios fueron xerosis y prurito.
UNASSIGNED: El tratamiento de las discrasias linfoides con radiación ultravioleta es eficaz y seguro, con efectos secundarios leves y con respuestas exitosas en la mayoría de los pacientes, en tiempo y número de sesiones variables.

Studies reporting incidences of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) are heterogeneous, depend on the geographic area of the studied population and are often short-term. The aim of this study is to determine the incidence of NMSC in patients treated with oral PUVA therapy in the Mediterranean area.
A retrospective, observational study was carried out with a sample of 234 patients treated with systemic PUVA between 1982 and 1996, carrying out a historical follow-up until May 2017. The incidencedensity rate of CCNM (crude and adjusted) was calculated by direct standardisation. The incidence of CCNM was compared with that reported in the general population in a similar geographical area.
50 neoplasms were diagnosed in 22 patients. The prevalence of CCNM in patients treated with phototherapy was 10.3%. The mean follow-up time was 21 years. The crude-adjusted incidence density rate of CCNM was 554.4-183.9 cases/100,000 treated patients per year. The crude-adjusted incidence density rate of basal cell carcinoma was 352.3-111.2 cases/100.000 patients and of squamous cell carcinoma was 229-77.7 cases /100,000 patients.
PUVA therapy is associated with an increased risk of CCNM inthe Mediterranean population.

BACKGROUND: Solar urticaria is an uncommon photodermatosis. First-line treatment is with antihistamines; second-line treatment includes induction of light tolerance using UV phototherapy.
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to describe and evaluate the effectiveness of a desensitization protocol with narrowband UV-B in patients with solar urticaria.
METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of patients with solar urticaria with an action spectrum in the UV-A range, the visible light range, or both who had received therapy with narrowband UV-B for induction of light tolerance. Short courses of treatment were administered (<20 sessions, 3 per week) during spring. The initial dose was determined according to the skin type. The Skindex-29 was administered before treatment and after summer; a nonvalidated questionnaire was also administered after summer to evaluate disease activity and satisfaction with treatment.
RESULTS: We included 8 patients with an action spectrum (4 with visible light and 4 with UVA plus visible light). Seventeen courses (1-6 per patient) were administered per year. The number of sessions per year ranged from 11 to 20. The mean dose of narrowband UV-B per course was 7.45J/cm2. No patients experienced flares or adverse effects during treatment. The response was satisfactory in 6 patients. The improvement in the overall Skindex-29 score was greater than 20% in 78.6% of cases. The improvement in the function and symptoms subscales was over 20% in 71% and 64% of cases, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: Induction of light tolerance with narrowband UV-B in solar urticaria is safe and effective in a high percentage of patients.

BACKGROUND: The risk of skin cancer in patients treated with narrowband (NB) UV-B phototherapy is not well understood. Although experimental studies have shown that there is a risk, clinical studies have not detected an increased incidence of cancer following treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in patients treated with NB UV-B phototherapy at a tertiary care hospital in the Mediterranean area.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 474 patients who received whole-body NB UV-B phototherapy at our hospital between 2002 and 2016 and identified those diagnosed with NMSC during follow-up. We calculated the corresponding crude and standardized incidence rates and compared these with rates in the general population in a similar geographic area.
RESULTS: Of the 474 patients, 193 (40.7%) were men and 281 (59.3%) were women. The mean (SD) follow-up period was 5.8 (3) years. The prevalence of NMSC at the end of the study period was 1.9% and the standardized incidence was 108.3 cases per 100 000 patient-years. The SIR of 1.9 in the study group was not significantly different from that of the general population. The number of patients who needed to be treated with NB UV-B phototherapy for 1 case of NMSC to occur was 1900.
CONCLUSIONS: NB UV-B phototherapy does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of NMSC.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence is increasing worldwide as people on antiretroviral therapy are living longer. These patients are often susceptible to debilitating inflammatory disorders that are frequently refractory to standard treatment. Psoriasis is a systemic inflammatory disorder, associated with both physical and psychological burden, and can be the presenting feature of HIV infection. In this population, psoriasis tends to be more severe, to have atypical presentations and higher failure rates with the usual prescribed treatments. Management of moderate and severe HIV-associated psoriasis is challenging. Systemic conventional and biologic agents may be considered, but patients should be carefully followed up for potential adverse events, like opportunist infections, and regular monitoring of CD4 counts and HIV viral loads.