A home-based treatment for hand eczema is just as effective at treating the condition in hospital say researchers according to a new study. Eczema is an inflammatory condition of the skin, which causes redness, itching and scaling.
Researchers examined 158 patients with moderate to severe chronic hand eczema for more than one year. About half the patients followed a home-based program taking a pill form of the medication psoralen-UV-A followed by exposure to UV-A light from a portable tanning unit. The other half received a hand soak version of PUVA and UV-A light exposure .Results showed both groups had a significant and comparable decrease in hand eczema, with an average of 41-percent improvement in the home group compared to a 31 percent in the hospital group after 10 weeks. Over time, researchers reported no statistically significant difference in improvement between these two groups. Also, the effect of the treatment was maintained during an eight-week follow-up period after treatment was completed.
Thus researchers conclude saying that hospital-administered bath PUVA with oral PUVA at home, both had a similar decrease in hand eczema score clinical improvement at the end of treatment.
