Different low doses of broad-band UVA in the treatment of morphea and systemic sclerosis
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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
Minimal Erythema Dose (MED) Testing
Published on: May 28, 2013
M El-Mofty1, W Mostafa, M El-Darouty
1Department of Dermatology, Phototherapy Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.
Background:
Numerous treatment modalities, some with potentially hazardous side effects, are currently used for morphea (M) and systemic sclerosis (SS) with limited success. Low-dose ultraviolet A (UVA) phototherapy (20 J/cm(2)) was found to be highly effective for sclerotic patches, even in patients with advanced and rapidly evolving lesions.
Objective:
To determine the effectiveness of different low doses of UVA in treating patients with M and SS.
Methods:
Sixty-three patients complaining of M and 15 patients complaining of SS received 20 sessions of UVA (320-400 nm) each. Patients were divided randomly into three groups that received 5, 10 and 20 J/cm(2), with cumulative UVA doses of 100, 200, and 400 J/cm(2), respectively. The efficacy of therapy was judged clinically (by sequential inspection and palpation) and histopathologically by morphometry in M cases.
Results:
Obvious clinical improvement, with no comparable differences between various low UVA doses, was noted in patients with M and SS, accompanied by histopathological changes towards normalization of collagen.
Conclusions:
After 20 sessions, it appears that lower doses of UVA (5, 10 J/cm(2)) are as beneficial as the relatively higher dose (20 J/cm(2)) in the treatment of M and SS.
