Home vs. outpatient narrowband ultraviolet B therapy for the treatment of nonsegmental vitiligo: a retrospective questionnaire study

Conflicts of interest: none declared. Madam, Narrowband ultraviolet B (NB‐UVB) therapy is considered the first‐line therapy for nonsegmental vitiligo.1, 2 A major drawback, though, is the fact that this treatment requires months to years of frequent visits to a clinic‐based phototherapy unit.3 For that reason home UVB therapy was introduced in 1979, mainly for psoriasis,4 and in the early 1990s for vitiligo as well. However, the safety, effectiveness and compliance associated with home treatment have been debated.5–8 This study is the first to provide data on the pros and cons of home vs. outpatient UVB therapy in patients with nonsegmental vitiligo. From March 2008 until January 2009, all consecutive patients with generalized nonsegmental vitiligo who completed total‐body NB‐UVB therapy, either at the Netherlands Institute for Pigment Disorders or at home, were included. All patients were mailed a package containing a questionnaire. Nonresponders were reminded by telephone with a maximum of five follow‐up calls.