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2008-01-02
Estimated UV doses to psoriasis patients during climate therapy at Gran Canaria in March 2006
L. T. N. Nilsen
lill.tove.nilsen@nrpa.no
E. Søyland
A. L. Krogstad
Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, Østerås, Norway
Section for Climatotherapy, Department of Reumatology, Rikshospitalet University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Department of Dermatology, Rikshospitalet University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease involving about 2–3% of the
Norwegian population. Sun exposure has a positive effect on most psoriasis
lesions, but ultraviolet (UV) radiation also causes a direct DNA damage in
the skin cells and comprises a carcinogenic potential. UV exposure on the
skin causes a local as well as a systemic immune suppressive effect, but the
relation between sun exposure and these biological effects is not well
known. In March 2006 a study was carried out to investigate possible
therapeutic outcome mechanisms in 20 psoriasis patients receiving climate
therapy at Gran Canaria. This paper presents estimates of their individual
skin UV-doses based on UV measurements and the patients' diaries with
information on time spent in the sun.
<br></br>
On the first day of exposure the patients received on average 5.1 Standard
Erythema Doses (SED: median=4.0 SED, range 2.6–10.3 SED) estimated to the
skin. During the 15 days study they received 165.8 SED (range 104.3–210.1 SED). The reduction in PASI
score was 72.8% on average, but there was no obvious relation between the improvement and the UV dose. The UV doses were
higher than those found from climate therapy studies at other locations. It
seems beneficial to use more strict exposure schedules that consider the
available UV irradiance, depending on time of the day, time of the year and
weather conditions.
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