• Mohammed Radmanesh and Kourosh Saedi.
• Department of Dermatology, Jondishapour Hospital, Jondishapour University of Medical Sciences, Ahwaz, Iran. radmanesh_m@yahoo.com
• J Dermatolog Treat. 2006 Jan 1; 17 (3): 151-3.

BackgroundImmunosuppressive agents are used widely in the treatment of vitiligo. Corticosteroids are used either alone or as adjuvant therapy by many practitioners. Cyclophosphamide and cycloporine-A have also been used with variable success. Azathioprine may have the potential for the treatment of vitiligo alone or in combination with other modalities.ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy of combined low-dose azathioprine and oral PUVA therapy versus oral PUVA therapy alone for the treatment of vitiligo.Patients And MethodsA total of 60 vitiligo patients were randomized to receive either azathioprine (0.6-0.75 mg/kg) and oral PUVA therapy (group 1) or oral PUVA therapy alone (group 2). Patients were followed for 4 months. A graph transparency with squares of 2.5 x 2.5 mm was used to measure the rate of repigmentation after 4 months of therapy.ResultsPerifollicular repigmentation started after a mean of five sessions in group 1, and eight sessions in group 2. The mean total repigmentation rate after 4 months was 58.4% for group 1 and 24.8% for group 2. No serious side effects were seen during or after treatment.ConclusionAzathioprine may potentiate the repigmentary effects of PUVA therapy in vitiligo patients. A limitation of the study is the lack of validated measures for vitiligo assessment.

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