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Quality of life of psoriasis patients before and after balneo -- or balneophototherapy.

AbstractPURPOSE:
An observational prospective study was conducted to study the effects of hypotonic spa-water baths and narrowband ultraviolet B therapy given alone or in combination for treatment of moderate-severe psoriasis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
TWO TREATMENTS WERE ANALYSED: 2 weeks of balneotherapy followed by ultraviolet-B (UVB) 311-nm phototherapy (BPT) or 2 weeks of daily bath treatments of Comano water alone (BT). One hundred and eleven adult patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis were enrolled. Quality of life (QoL) questionnaires {36-item Short Form of the Medical Outcomes Study questionnaire (SF-36) and Skindex-29} were administered at baseline and 2 months from the end of therapy. The self-administered Psoriasis Area Severity Index (SAPASI), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ)-12 (to assess clinical severity and psychological distress, respectively) were also recorded at the same time-periods.
RESULTS:
SAPASI was significantly reduced from 15.2 to 8.7 in BPT group and 11.6 to 7.8 in BT. A decrease of greater than 50% after therapy in SAPASI_50 score was reached by 42% and 37% of patients in the BPT and BT groups, respectively. At follow-up, both groups had better scores on all SF-36 scales (with statistically significant improvement in social functioning and mental health in the BPT group) and in all Skindex-29 scales. A statistically significant reduction of GHQ-12 positive cases was observed in the BPT group.
CONCLUSION:
Comano spa-water alone or in combination with phototherapy had beneficial therapeutic effects on patients with psoriasis. Although our observational study design prevents us from making meaningful comparisons between the 2 interventions, the combination of balneo and phototherapy seems to improve QoL and lessen clinical severity, and reduced the proportion of GHQ-12 positive cases.
AuthorsStefano Tabolli, Anna Calza, Cristina Di Pietro, Francesca Sampogna, Damiano Abeni
JournalYonsei medical journal (Yonsei Med J) Vol. 50 Issue 2 Pg. 215-21 (Apr 30 2009) ISSN: 1976-2437 [Electronic] Korea (South)
PMID19430554 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
Topics
  • Adult
  • Balneology (methods)
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Logistic Models
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Phototherapy (methods)
  • Psoriasis (therapy)
  • Quality of Life

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