Journal Information
Vol. 111. Issue 1.
Pages 1 (January - February 2020)
Vol. 111. Issue 1.
Pages 1 (January - February 2020)
Commentaries
Open Access
Phototherapy is Effective at all Ages
La fototerapia es eficaz en todas las edades
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J Gardeazabal García
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chusgarde@yahoo.es

Corresponding author.
Servicio de Dermatología, Hospital Universitario Cruces, Barakaldo, Bizkaia, Spain
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Treatment of pediatric patients is a challenge we face frequently in our daily practice. Phototherapy is a therapeutic modality of which we have much experience in adults, with very large studies and long-term follow-ups. Phototherapy data in children is far more scarce. The study published in this journal with 95 children and a variety of diseases shows that the treatment has similar efficacy to that found in adults, and with few adverse effects.1 It is interesting to note that the children miss fewer treatment sessions than adults, despite the obligations of both the patients and those who accompany them that make it difficult for them to attend the phototherapy sessions. This adherence to treatment may be explained by the greater functional and esthetic repercussions of skin diseases in childhood. The study clearly shows the utility and cost-effectiveness of phototherapy in clearing guttate psoriasis, with remissions that may be very long-lasting. In other diseases, such as vitiligo, it would be necessary to evaluate whether the long duration of the treatments and the less marked improvements obtained, with probable relapses, justify its use. In the era of biological treatments, we should not close the door on other treatments that may be effective in many diseases.

References
[1]
J. Magdaleno-Tapial, J.M. Ortiz-Salvador, C. Valenzuela-Oñate, P. Marí-Cornejo, A. Esteve-Martínez, A. Pérez-Ferriols.
Experiencia en el uso de fototerapia en pacientes pediátricos y comparación de esta técnica frente a pacientes adulto.
Actas Dermosifiliogr, 111 (2020), pp. 41-46

Please cite this article as: Gardeazabal García J. La fototerapia es eficaz en todas las edades. Actas Dermosifiliogr. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ad.2019.05.003

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