Introduction & Objectives
Vitiligo is a common disease with an immunological background. There is no standard treatment regimen for vitiligo. Interleukin 17 (IL-17) may play a role in pathogenesis of vitiligo.
Evaluation of Tacrolimus and Narrow band UVB (NB-UVB) in treatment of vitiligo both clinically and by measurement of IL-17 before and after treatment.
Materials & Methods
45 patients with generalized vitiligo were included in the study. 21 patients were treated with NB-UVB while 24 were treated with tacrolimus for three months.
Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (VASI) and IL-17 was measured before and after treatment.
Results
VASI was significantly improved after both treatments (p<0.001 for both groups). IL-17 was significantly decreased after treatment with both study groups (P<0.001 for both groups). IL-17 was significantly correlated with VASI.
Conclusions
NB-UVB and tacrolimus are both effective in the treatment of vitiligo and decreasing IL-17. IL-17 may play a role in pathogenesis of vitiligo.