UVB treatment of factitious urticaria

Forty-three patients with factitious urticaria were treated with sub-erythematous doses of UVB 5 times weekly for 2-3 weeks. After an average of 13 treatments, 25 were free from symptoms, 14 improved and 4 were unchanged. The dermographism test was negative or considerably reduced after treatment. Most of the patients had permanent effects from the treatment, but 13 relapsed. As the effect of other treatment modalities in this disorder is unsatisfactory, the encouraging results documented in this clinical trial suggest that UVB therapy should be considered for patients with factitious urticaria.