Dead Sea Salt Balneophototherapy vs. Ultraviolet
B Light Therapy for Psoriasis.
Title: A randomized controlled comparison of
the efficacy of Dead Sea salt balneophototherapy vs. narrowband
ultraviolet B monotherapy for chronic plaque psoriasis.
Authors: Dawe RS, et al.
Publication: Br J Dermatol. 2005 Sep;153(3):613-9.
Dead Sea salt solution soaks in combination with narrowband ultraviolet
B therapy (called Dead Sea salt balneophototherapy), has been
used in treatment of psoriasis particularly in central Europe.
The author wanted to compare Dead Sea salt balneophototherapy
with just narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy for chronic plaque
psoriasis. To do this, they enrolled 60 patients. They randomly
soak either the left or right limb of the patients with Dead Sea
salt, and then subject them to ultraviolet B light. The patients
were then assessed weekly during the therapy, and every 2 months
after therapy until relapse or for up to 1 year after clearance.
The authors reported that the psoriasis severity score fell slightly
more with the Dead Sea salt balneophototherapy than just with
ultraviolet B therapy. There was no difference in terms of frequency
or time to relapse.
The authors concluded that the addition of Dead Sea salt soak
to narrowband ultraviolet B light therapy did not result in clinically
important improvement in the clearance of psoriasis.
