SAFETY OF SOLAR PHOTOTHERAPY AT THE DEAD-SEA

Background: Climatotherapy at the Dead Sea is effective for patients w ith psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, vitiligo, and other diseases. Althou gh impressive improvement has been reported for patients with psoriasi s, with a clearance rate of more than 80% after a 4-week stay, questio ns regarding the safety of this treatment have arisen. Objective and M ethods: We compare the mean UVB radiation intensities absorbed by psor iatic patients undergoing a 4-week climatotherapy under supervision at the DMZ Rehabilitation Clinic of Ein-Bokek (The Dead Sea, Israel), wi th similar climatotherapy studies in Sweden and Switzerland, We also c ompare the climatotherapy radiation dosages with the UVB intensities a bsorbed by psoriatic patients in radiation cabins at seven university clinics. Results: According to our individually computerized DMZ proto col, a psoriasis patient with skin type IV is exposed during a 4-week climatotherapy to a mean 3.11 J/cm(2) (148 MED) of UVB, similar to tha t in Sweden and Switzerland. The range of the in-clinic annual phototh erapy in the seven medical centers studied varied from 1.17 to 37.80 J /cm(2) (56 to 1800 MED). Conclusion: When all relevant factors are tak en into account, the mean UVB exposure dose at the Dead Sea is one of the lowest reported for clearance of psoriatic plaques.