Two third of the vitiligo effected children get improvement up to 75% or even better who get treatments with pseudocatalase PC-KUS. Epidermal cells which are the main cause of vitiligo may be damaged by hydrogen peroxide – medicated lipid peroxidation. In refined keratinocytes and melanocytes, catalase can be effective to prevent from vacuolization which is caused by peroxidation and peroxide breaks down by it and by the treatment of “seudocatalase” PC-KUS, a bis-Mn “[EDTA]2[HCO3-]2 complex can be easily applied to any affected skin and it is activated through radiation of narrow-band ultraviolet-B (NB-UVB).

71 children, who were affected with vitiligo, have been provided treatment with PC-KUS, which was activated by providing UVB on daily basis in this study. Topical preparation of the PC-KUS was applied to the whole body on twice daily basis. It was the requirement to administer the NB-UVB for 14 days once daily and then for the next 4 weeks it was twice weekly. After that the PC-KUS treatment applied once in a day and sun exposure was allowed for only 1 hour in a day. NB-UVB was given alone (monotherapy) to 10 children. After 12 months the final evaluation was made.

Vitiligo progression was stopped in 70 children out of 71 who were provided treatment with PC-KUS which was activated by NB-UVB. 66 children were feeling better up to 75% repigmentation on the neck and face, complete repigmentation on 39%. More than 75% improvement was occurred in 48 children out of 61 treated children having vitiligo on the chest and in 40 children out of 55 having vitiligo on edges of the body. Children having vitiligo on the hand were 5 and they got repigmentation up to 75%. On Fitzpatrick skin type and duration of disease, the success was independent. The ten other children who were getting monotherapy, there progression in the disease was not stopped and they did not get much repigmentation.

Comment: The agents are available in the Germany and U.K. Most probably this therapy it the same one we are looking for. Although the reaction is slow and phototherapy is a compulsory part of the treatment but the results given by this treatment are more superior then the other therapies. This treatment looks a safe treatment which is effected over one year of treatment. And effects of long term treatment are of course unknown.

Mark V. Dahl, MD

Published on 15 August, 2008 in Journal Watch Dermatology.