Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology Medknow Publications on behalf of The Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL) ISSN: 0378-6323 EISSN: 0973-3922 Vol. 73, Num. 5, 2007, pp. 351-351

Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Vol. 73, No. 5, September-October, 2007, pp. 351

Letter To Editor

Response by authors

Tejasvi Trilokraj, Sharma VinodK, Kaur Jasleen

Department of Dermatology and Venereology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi

Correspondence Address:Dr. Vinod K Sharma, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi - 110 029, India. E-mail: aiimsvks@yahoo.com

Code Number: dv07129

Related Article: dv070128

Sir,

We appreciate the interest and response of Dr. C.R. Srinivas in our publication with regard to the determination of minimal erythema dose (MED) in narrowband UVB (NB-UVB). ^[1] The aim of our study was to standardize the MED with an objective parameter using Dermaspectrometer. We did not find statistically significant differences in the visual reading and Dermaspectrometer reading; however, the instrument can detect erythema, which may not be appreciated by eye and avoids subjective variation.

Most of the patients recruited in the study were females ( n=31 out of 41), and we could not find any variation in the MED between the genders. Probably, further studies with no gender bias and more number of subjects could provide a definite answer.

The recruited patients were tested for MED prior to the starting of the NB-UVB treatment, and we started at 70% of their respective MEDs and no patient complained of excessive burning. Hence, the reduction by 50mj from the obtained MED was not practiced by us. In situations where a patient complains of increased sensitivity, the usage of 50% of the MED has been suggested.

References

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