title: Psoriasis treatment: bathing in a thermal lagoon combined with UVB, versus UVB treatment only.
abstract: We have compared bathing in a thermal lagoon in Iceland, combined with UVB treatment, to UVB treatment only in an open comparative study. Twenty-three psoriasis patients bathed 3 times daily and were treated with UVB 5 times a week for 4 weeks. The control group was only treated with UVB 5 times a week for 4 weeks. Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PSAI) was used to estimate the severity of the disease. The mean PASI score in the bathing group decreased from 20.8 to 2.8 (p < 0.01). In the control UVB group, the PASI score decreased from 16. 7 to 6.9. The percentage difference between the groups was significant after 1, 2, 2 and 4 weeks. Bathing in the lagoon combined with UVB was found to be a very effective treatment and better than UVB treatment in our control group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Olafsson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sigurgeirsson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pálsdóttir
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001452:Balneology; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000628:therapy*; D014467:Ultraviolet Therapy