[Consensus document on bath-PUVA therapy. The Spanish Photobiology Group of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology]

Abstract

Bath PUVA is a variant of phototherapy as efficacious as oral PUVA therapy that avoids many of the adverse effects associated to this treatment. Nevertheless, the special features and the specialized equipment required for its employment have limited its application in the dermatologic clinics of our country. Following the trend initiated after the publication of the consensus document on oral PUVA therapy and narrow band (NB) UVB therapy, the Spanish Photobiology Group from the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology has developed a therapeutic guideline for bath PUVA therapy based on the literature review and the experience of its members. The document aims to be a practical reference guide for those dermatological centres that include phototherapy among their services. It reviews the concept and indications of this type of treatment and proposes recommendations concerning therapeutic procedures, drug associations of interest and prophylaxis and management of adverse effects.