Background: Atopic dermatitis is a long-term type of inflammation of the skin, It results in itchy, red swollen, and cracked skin. Clear fluid may come from the affected areas, which often thickens over time. While the condition may occur at any age, it typically starts in childhood, with changing severity over the years. The objectives were to compare the effect of photochemotherapy versus tap-water iontophoresis for the management of atopic dermatitis in children.
Methods: Fifty-six eligible children with atopic dermatitis were randomly designated into three groups. Psoralen plus Ultra-Violet A (PUVA Group): n=18 received Bath-Psoralen, ultraviolet A and traditional medical treatment for three sessions per week for 8 weeks. (Iontophoresis Group): n=18 received tap-water iontophoresis and traditional medical treatment for three sessions per week for 8 weeks. Control group: n=20, received traditional medical treatment, applied twice daily for 8 consecutive weeks. Patients were assessed using the Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM) Scale and Ultrasonography for skin thickness at baseline and at the end of 8 weeks of therapy.
Results: Statistically significant difference was detected in each group for the outcome measures. (p value< 0.05). Though there was no significant difference between photochemotherapy and Iontophoresis groups in both skin thickness and quality of life, photo-chemotherapy proved to be superior to tap-water iontophoresis (p-value > 0.05).
Conclusion: This study deduced that photo-chemotherapy and tap-water iontophoresis proved to be superior to medical therapy in decreasing skin thickness and improving POEM scale for atopic-dermatitis children, despite there is no difference between photo-chemotherapy and tap-water iontophoresis.