Use of narrowband ultraviolet B (NBUVB) in paediatric psoriasis: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

Background/ Objectives: Phototherapy is used commonly in adult psoriasis; however, there is little data on its use in the paediatric population. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on current available literature to review the safety and efficacy of NBUVB in paediatric psoriasis.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis according to PRISMA guidelines. Meta-analysis of proportions was used to obtain efficacy, and meta-regression was used to explore the impact of treatment variables on efficacy.

Results: We identified 10 prospective and retrospective studies for inclusion. From pooled data, we determined the efficacy of NBUVB in paediatric psoriasis to be 80% (CI 70%-88%). There was a positive association between the number of treatments and efficacy of NBUVB. There was no association between the cumulative dose and efficacy. Erythema was the most commonly described side effect. There were no studies of long-term safety of NBUVB in paediatric psoriasis. Limitations included that studies had small patient numbers and were observational in nature.

Conclusions: NBUVB is effective in the treatment of paediatric psoriasis with a good short-term safety profile. More studies are required to assess the influence of variables on efficacy and to elucidate the long-term safety profile of NBUVB in paediatric psoriasis.