Combined UVB and UVA phototherapy of atopic eczema

The effect of combined UVB-UVA treatment in a group of 23 patients with severe atopic eczema was compared to UVB therapy alone in 33 patients. Mean age and number of treatments were approximately the same in the two groups. With UVB-UVA treatment, 48% achieved complete remission and in another 48% good improvements were obtained as compared to 27 and 58%, respectively, in the group treated with UVB alone. A few failures were recorded in the UVB group. Some possible explanations for the better effect of the combined UVB-UVA treatment are given.