ASSESSMENT OF SERUM VITAMIN D LEVELS IN VITILIGO PATIENTS BEFORE AND AFTER NBUVB (NARROWBAND UV-B) THERAPY

*Jalal Sameer Jalal Chalabee, Jamal Khaddam and Faisal Redwan

ABSTRACT

Background: Ultraviolet B(UVB) phototherapy is considered an effective treatment for vitiligo, in which beneficial effects could be partly due to the effects on levels of vitamin D3. Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of narrowband UVB(NB-UVB) on the level of vitamin D3 in vitiligo patients, as well as the association of this change with severity of disease and demographic characteristics of the patients. Materials and Methods: This was an observational analytic study (prospective) involved 40 patients with a diagnosis of vitiligo referred to clinic of dermatology, Tishreen University Hospital, Lattakia, during one-year period (2023-2024) who underwent treatment Results: Out of 40 patients, 15(37.5%) were male and 25(62.5%) were female, with mean age of the patients was 35.25±12.2 years. The type of vitiligo was localized in 85%, with presence of family history in 62.5%, and the duration of disease was in the range from 1 to 3 years in 62.5%. Serum levels of vitamin D3 increased significantly after treatment (37.67±8.3 versus 23.43±7.5 before treatment, p:0.0001), with decreasing of vitiligo area severity index (VASI); 2.85±1.8 versus 5.92±2.5 before treatment, p:0.0001. Improvement was very good in 67.5%, with significant correlation between the grade of improvement and the following variables: age and duration of disease, in which excellent-very good grades were higher in young ages(p:0.04) and with duration of disease less than one year. Conclusion: The current study showed that phototherapy might be an effective treatment for re-pigmentation in patients with vitiligo, via its effects on vitamin D and calibration its level could be a tool to determine patients who are more responsive to treatment.

Keywords: Narrowband UVB(NB-UVB), phototherapy, Syria, vitiligo, vitamin D3.