UVB PHOTOTHERAPY IS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR PRURITUS IN PATIENTS INFECTED WITH HIV

Background: Pruritus in patients positive for HIV may be debilitating. Objective: Our purpose was to evaluate the efficacy of UVB therapy in the treatment of pruritus in patients positive ibr HIV. Methods: Twen ty-one male HIV-positive patients with intractable pruritus (14 with e osinophilic folliculitis and 7 with primary pruritus) were treated thr ee times weekly with UVB phototherapy. Pruritus was quantified with us e of a subjective score of 0 (none) to 10 (severe). Results: Mean CD4 counts at the initiation of therapy were 91.0 +/- 31.9 cells/mu l. Pru ritus scores before and after treatment were 8.6 +/- 0.4 and 2.2 +/- 0 .5, respectively (p < 0.001). The mean number of treatments to achieve maximal improvement was 20.7 +/- 2.3, with a cumulative UVB dose of 3 339.1 +/- 597.4 mJ/cm(2). No significant difference was found between the group with eosinophilic follculitis and the group with primary pru ritus. Conclusion: UVB phototherapy can produce significant relief of pruritus and improvement in the quality of life in patients positive f or HIV.