Epidemiological Profile of Patients Undergoing Treatment in the Phototherapy Unit of the Dermatology Service of a University
Abstract
Introduction: Phototherapy is a therapeutic modality used to treat various dermatoses. It consists of exposure to non-ionizing radiation, classified as UVA or UVB according to its wavelength.
Material and Methods: This is an observational, cross-sectional and descriptive study carried out in the phototherapy sector of the Dermatology Service of a university hospital with the objective of characterizing the population under treatment and their degree of satisfaction.
Results: Fifty-one individuals were included of whom 69% were female, with a mean age of 49 years. The most prevalent dermatoses under treatment during the research were: vitiligo (62.5%), and mycosis fungoides (13.73%). Regarding the level of satisfaction with treatment, more than 90% declared themselves satisfied/very satisfied.
Discussion: The prevalence of women and lower phototypes was consistent with the literature. The predominance of the elderly in this study corroborated by other studies may be justified by the presence of comorbidities, and contraindication to conventional treatments beside more time available for the treatment. In some cases, the most prevalent dermatosis was psoriasis, differing from our study. The second most prevalent dermatosis in our study was mycosis fungoides, which also differs from the studies found that described psoriasis or vitiligo as the second most prevalent dermatosis.
Conclusion: Studies such as this one are necessary for the planning both the departments that already have this therapeutic modality and those that wish to implement it. Our results are not fully convergent with those of the literature as nowadays there are new options for the treatment of psoriasis.
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