Nabarawy Eman El
Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.
Indian J Dermatol. 2011 Jan;56(1):44-7. doi: 10.4103/0019-5154.77551.
Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a common complication of herpes zoster that is frequently unresponsive to most of the available treatment modalities. Broad band ultraviolet B radiation (UVB) has a well-known anti-inflammatory effect. Moreover, it decreases neural damage and cutaneous nerve density. It was found that broad band UVB might have a role in the prevention and treatment of PHN.
This study was carried out to evaluate the effect ofnarrow band UVB (nbUVB) in the treatment PHN.
The study included 17 patients with distressing post herpetic neuralgia. Patients were evaluated using the Verbal Rating Scale (VRS). The patients received nbUVB sessions, three times a week, for a total of 15 sessions or until the pain disappeared. Patients were followed up for a period of 3 months after the end of therapy.
Using intention to treat analysis, more than 50% improvement was achieved in 6 (35.29%) and 8 (47.06%) patients, at the end of therapy and after 3 months follow up, respectively. An improvement less that 50% was achieved in 11 (64.71%) and 9 (52.94%) patients, at the end of therapy and after 3 months follow up, respectively. The pain severity assessed by the VRS significantly improved both at the end of sessions (P = 0.005) and after 3 months follow up (P = 0.005).
nbUVB may be of beneficial use in the treatment of PHN.
Small number of patients and limited follow-up period.
带状疱疹后神经痛（PHN）是带状疱疹常见的并发症，对大多数现有治疗方式常常没有反应。宽带紫外线B辐射（UVB）具有众所周知的抗炎作用。此外，它可减少神经损伤和皮肤神经密度。研究发现宽带UVB可能在PHN的预防和治疗中发挥作用。
本研究旨在评估窄带UVB（nbUVB）治疗PHN的效果。
该研究纳入了17例患有令人痛苦的带状疱疹后神经痛的患者。使用视觉模拟评分量表（VRS）对患者进行评估。患者接受nbUVB治疗，每周3次，共15次治疗，或直至疼痛消失。治疗结束后对患者进行3个月的随访。
采用意向性分析，分别在治疗结束时和3个月随访后，6例（35.29%）和8例（47.06%）患者疼痛改善超过50%。分别在治疗结束时和3个月随访后，11例（64.71%）和9例（52.94%）患者疼痛改善小于50%。VRS评估显示，治疗结束时（P=0.005）和3个月随访后（P=0.005）疼痛严重程度均显著改善。
nbUVB可能对PHN治疗有益。
患者数量少且随访期有限。
