A case series pilot study on the combination of 5-aminolevulinic acid and photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) for treatment of vitiligo

BACKGROUND: To study the effective therapeutic concentration, drug application duration, irradiation duration and irradiation dosage of 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) for treating vitiligo and observe its clinical efficacy. OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical efficacy of ALA-PDT for treating vitiligo. METHODS: ALA with different drug concentrations, drug application durations, irradiation durations and irradiation dosages were adopted to treat skin lesions caused by vitiligo to determine the effective drug concentration, drug application duration, irradiation duration and irradiation dosage for treating three vitiligo volunteers and observe the therapeutic results. RESULTS: The clinical trial suggested that ALA at a drug concentration of 1.5%, drug application duration for 3 hours, irradiation dosage of 80mw/cm(2) and irradiation duration for 20 min was effective in treating vitiligo. Under these parameters, ALA-PDT was effective to the three vitiligo volunteers, with mild pain and feeling of burning but no other adverse reaction during treatment. STUDY LIMITATIONS: Due to the small sample size in this study for the effectiveness of PDT in treating vitiligo and the potential variations in the efficacy for treating the disease at different areas, further studies shall be conducted for confirmation. CONCLUSIONS: ALA with a drug concentration at 1.5%, drug application duration for 3 hours, irradiation dosage of 80 mw/cm(2) and irradiation duration for 20 min is effective in treating vitiligo. Therefore, ALA-PDT is safe and effective in treating the disease, with minor adverse events, providing a new method for treating vitiligo in the future.