As I wander around the internet, from time to time I find articles that I hope my readers find of some value. This article from the December 2009 issue of Skin and Allergy News is one of the first articles I have come across linking Vitamin D production with UVB Narrow Band. This article was written by Bruce Jancin.
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY — Narrow-band UVB therapy for psoriasis or atopic dermatitis not only improves the skin disease, but also corrects the serum vitamin D deficiency that is ubiquitous in patients with these dermatologic disorders, particularly during the winter months in northern latitudes, according to Dr. Katja Vahavihu.
It is not clear how long the narrow-band UVB-induced correction of vitamin D deficiency persists, but it does appear to be long lasting, Dr. Vahavihu reported at the annual congress of the European Society for Dermatological Research.
One month after 18 Finnish adults with psoriasis and 18 others with atopic dermatitis completed a course of narrow-band UMB, their serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels remained nearly unchanged from their last treatment session, and well within the normal range.
At baseline, before starting their wintertime course of 15 narrow-band UVB treatment sessions over a 5-week period, 16 of the 18 psoriasis patients and 17 of the 18 atopic dermatitis patients were vitamin D deficient, as defined by a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of 50 nmol/L or less.
After receiving a mean of 71.5 standard erythema doses in a Waldmann UV 7001 cabinet over a 5-week period, the psoriasis patients’ mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level climbed from 36.8 to 96.7 nmol/L, while levels in the atopic dermatitis patients rose from 32.2 to 98.9 nmol/L, according to Dr. Vahavihu.
Levels in 15 healthy controls jumped from about 60 nmol/L at baseline to nearly 150 nmol/L after the 15 narrow-band UVB sessions, said Dr. Vahavihu of the Tampere (Finland) University Hospital. Patient SCORAD (Scoring Atopic Dermatitis) and PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) scores were reduced by more than half with narrow-band UVB therapy.
Dr. Vahavihu reported having no conflicts of interest related to his study.
Bibliography for: “Narrow-band UVB quells disease, boosts Vit. D”
Bruce Jancin “Narrow-band UVB quells disease, boosts Vit. D”. Skin & Allergy News. FindArticles.com. 31 Dec, 2009. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4393/is_12_40/ai_n45489974
COPYRIGHT 2009 International Medical News Group
COPYRIGHT 2009 Gale, Cengage Learning
Symptoms & Characteristics
The skin is the largest organ in the human body and protects the inside of the body from the outside world. Some responsibilities of skin include:
Protection from bacteria and viruses
Helping to sense the outside world, such as whether it is hot or cold, wet or dry
Regulation of body temperature
Some common types of skin disease include:
Skin cancer
Eczema (characterized by red, swollen and itchy skin)
Psoriasis (characterized by itchy or sore patches of thick, red skin with silvery scales)
Pannicultis (characterized by hardened skin with painful lumps or patches)
Vitiligo (characterized by white patches on the skin)
Acne
Sunburn
Warts
Hives
Symptoms range from mild to severe. The onset of symptoms is dependent upon the specific type of skin disease.