Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2020 Mar 5;17(5):1684.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17051684.

The Effect of Ultraviolet B Irradiation Compared with Oral Vitamin D Supplementation on the Well-being of Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Bistra I Veleva  1   2 , Monique A A Caljouw  1 , Jenny T van der Steen  1 , Bart J A Mertens  3 , Victor G M Chel  1 , Mattijs E Numans  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The Effect of Ultraviolet B Irradiation Compared with Oral Vitamin D Supplementation on the Well-being of Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Bistra I Veleva et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

There are indications that ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure has beneficial effects on well-being through mechanisms other than vitamin D synthesis alone. We conducted a randomized controlled multicenter trial to compare the effects of UVB light and vitamin D supplementation (VD) in terms of the well-being of nursing home residents with dementia. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (UVB group, n = 41; half-body UVB irradiation, twice weekly over 6 months, with 1 standard erythema dose (SED)) or to the control group (VD group, n = 37; 5600 International units (IU) cholecalciferol supplementation once a week). The main outcome was well-being, measured by the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) and the Cornell scale for depression in dementia at 0, 3, and 6 months. Secondary outcomes were QUALIDEM quality of life domains and biochemical parameters of bone homeostasis. Intention-to-treat analysis with linear mixed modeling showed no significant between-group differences on agitation (p = 0.431) or depressive symptoms (p = 0.982). At six months, the UVB group showed less restless/tense behavior compared to the VD group (mean difference of the mean change scores 2.2, 95% CI 0.8 to 3.6; p = 0.003 for group x time interaction) and lower serum 25(OH)D3 concentration (estimated mean difference - 21.9, 95% CI -32.6 to -11.2; p = 0.003 for group difference). The exposure of nursing home residents with dementia to UVB light showed no positive benefits in terms of wellbeing. UVB treatment may have a positive effect on the restless/tense behavior characteristic of advanced dementia but more research is needed to confirm this finding.

Keywords: UVB irradiation; nursing home residents; quality of life; vitamin D supplementation; well-being.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Enrolment illustrated in a CONSORT 2010 flow diagram. IC: informed consent, UVB: ultraviolet B.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Lindqvist P.G., Epstein E., Nielsen K., Landin-Olsson M., Ingvar C., Olsson H. Avoidance of sun exposure as a risk factor for major causes of death: A competing risk analysis of the Melanoma in Southern Sweden cohort. J. Intern. Med. 2016;280:375–387. doi: 10.1111/joim.12496. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Holick M.F. Vitamin D for health and in chronic kidney disease. Semin. Dial. 2005;18:266–275. doi: 10.1111/j.1525-139X.2005.18402.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Edstrom D.W., Linder J., Wennersten G., Brismar K., Ros A.M. Phototherapy with ultraviolet radiation: A study of hormone parameters and psychological effects. J. Eur. Acad. Dermatol. Venereol. 2010;24:403–409. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2009.03423.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pudikov I.V., Dorokhov V.B. The special physiological importance of the UV-A spectrum for successful phototherapy. Hum. Physiol. 2012;38:634–639. doi: 10.1134/S0362119712060114. - DOI
    1. Taylor S.L., Kaur M., LoSicco K., Willard J., Camacho F., O’Rourke K.S., Feldman S.R. Pilot study of the effect of ultraviolet light on pain and mood in fibromyalgia syndrome. J. Altern. Complement. Med. 2009;15:15–23. doi: 10.1089/acm.2008.0167. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types