title: Prevalence study of dermatoses referred to the phototherapy unit at the Dermatology Service of the Clinics Hospital of Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Phototherapy consists of exposure to ultraviolet radiation for therapeutic reasons. Radiation is already used in dermatological practice, and many studies have already proved the beneficial effect of UV light treatment for chronic inflammatory or lymphoproliferative skin diseases. The Dermatology Service of the Clinics Hospital of Porto Alegre (Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre) has been using phototherapy for a long time, and no official data have been described so far.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the prevalence of dermatoses referred to the phototherapy unit at the Clinics Hospital of Porto Alegre and describe the total number of patients who have already been referred to this sector and their phototype.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. Data were collected through a review of the phototherapy patients' records (secondary data), which are available on a database of the Dermatology Service of the Clinics Hospital of Porto Alegre, from August 1997 to July 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 653 records were analyzed. Phototype 3 was the most prevalent (n=313). Distribution of the prevalence of dermatoses referred to the phototherapy unit was as follows: vitiligo (279), psoriasis (255), cutaneous T-cell lymphoma/mycosis fungoides (29), graftversus-host disease (15), scleroderma (11), atopic dermatitis (10), alopecia areata (6), parapsoriasis (5), eczema (4), granuloma annulare (4), and others (35). As vitiligo and psoriasis were the two most prevalent dermatoses, they were analyzed separately, with no statistical difference in prevalence between them (P=0,177).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings are in accordance with the literature, showing that although phototherapy is still mostly indicated to treat psoriasis, it has been used to treat other dermatoses, since the results are promising.
authors.affiliation: Clinics Hospital of Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brazil. carolcasara@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Casara
authors.forename: Leticia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Eidt
authors.forename: Vivian
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cunha
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D014467:Ultraviolet Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*