With tongue in cheek I penned the title above. I have to admit the first time I heard that “just itching” line was from a person with Psoriasis who had a serious itch associated with his disease. In this case, I am using to attract readers with generalized pruritus. It would seem that HIV Positive patients with pruritus can be helped with UVB311 or UVB Narrowband Therapy.
There are several scientifi articles one can find on the nest. I suggest us search for Pruritus AND UVB Narrow Band for more help at Bing or Google.
I came across a medical paper at:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118530749/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0#ss9
Title: “Generalized pruritus treated with narrowband UVB”
Authors: Dilek Seckin, MD, Zeynep Demircay, MD, and Ozlem Akin, MD
From Department of Dermatology, Marmara University School of Medicine, Altunizade, and Department of Dermatology, Maltepe University School of Medicine, Maltepe, Istanbul, Turkey
Background: Narrowband UVB phototherapy has been increasingly used in a variety of dermatological diseases. We planned to evaluate its efficacy in generalized pruritus in this prospective study.
Methods: Forty-six patients were included and then divided into two groups: group 1 and group 2 consisted of patients with uremic pruritus and “idiopathic pruritus”, respectively. Phototherapy was given three times a week. Efficacy assessments were made by means of visual analog scale (VAS) and pruritus grading score.
Results: Thirty-five patients completed the treatment. Mean VAS decreased from 8.2 ± 1.5 to 3.6 ± 3 in group 1 and from 7.1 ± 2.3 to 2.3 ± 2.8 in group 2 (P < 0.0001). Mean percentage of change in VAS was 54.2% (95% CI 32.6–75.9) and 67.9% (95% CI 53.8–81.9) in group 1 and group 2, respectively. Mean number of treatments was 22 in both groups. Mean cumulative UVB dose was 24,540 mJ/cm2 and 20,801 mJ/cm2 in group 1 and group 2, respectively.
Conclusion: Narrowband UVB is an effective and well-tolerated treatment option for patients with generalized pruritus.
Links to other articles
HIV & Pruritus: See http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2823520
From: http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/MeetingAbstracts/ma?f=102210196.html
I found “A 38-year-old Japanese man suffered from hemophilia B and had become infected with HIV through the administration of coagulation factor concentrates. The patient had exhibited small, firm, well-demarcated, skin-colored papules (usually 1-8 mm) symmetrically distributed on the trunk, extremities and face. Intense pruritus usually began with the appearance of the lesions. Scratching led to excoriations, prurigo-like lesions and marked post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. The serum eosinophil count was elevated, but IgE was normal. Biopsy specimens showed a moderately intense perivascular infiltrate composed of mononuclear cells without eosinophils. The lesions and pruritus failed to respond to the topical administration of corticosteroids, crotamiton cream or emollients, or to oral antihistamines or dapsone. Light treatment was given 8 times for 1 month using an ultraviolet B (UVB) lamp. The severity of the pruritus diminished after a few treatments. New prurigo-like eruptions disappeared with UVB treatment. The lesions and pruritus responded only to UVB phototherapy. While the mechanism is not known, UVB phototherapy may provide relief of AIDS-related pruritus.”
