TREATMENT OF VITILIGO WITH A TOPICAL APPLICATION OF PSEUDOCATALASE AND CALCIUM IN COMBINATION WITH SHORT-TERM UVB EXPOSURE - A CASE-STUDY ON 33 PATIENTS

Thirty-three patients with the depigmentation disorder vitiligo were s uccessfully treated with a new topical application of pseudocatalase, calcium and short-term UVB light exposure. First repigmentation occurr ed in the majority of cases after 2-4 months. Complete repigmentation on the face and dorsum of the hands appeared in 90% of the group. In a ll patients, active depigmentation was arrested. None of them develope d new lesions during treatment. No recurrence of the disease was obser ved during a 2-year follow-up. The rationale for this pilot study orig inated from a recent understanding of vitiligo at the molecular level. The involved epidermis produces hydrogen peroxide due to defective te trahydrobiopterin recycling and increased monoamine oxidase A activity , whereupon catalase is inactivated. In addition, calcium homeostasis is perturbed in the affected skin. The substitution for insufficient c atalase by a pseudocatalase together with calcium and UVB exposure lea d to effective repigmentation.