Efficacy of using oral methotrexate with phototherapy in the treatment of vitiligo in comparison with single phototherapy treatment: A double-blinded randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is an acquired skin disease with a worldwide prevalence of 0.5%-2% and a tendency to involve both genders. Although the exact pathologic mechanism is unknown, there is some evidence for the role of autoimmunity in this disease. Based on this theory, various immunosuppressive agents, such as topical or systemic corticosteroids and phototherapy (including narrowband ultraviolet B), are used. Methotrexate is another immunosuppressant that has recently become popular as a single treatment for vitiligo; however, the synergistic effect and its superiority over other treatments are two crucial factors that are still obscure. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of methotrexate+ NB-UVB versus placebo+ NB-UVB in vitiligo patients.

METHODS: In this double-blinded, randomized controlled trial, 42 patients were randomly allocated into two groups: the first group received three times weekly NB-UVB plus placebo, and the second group was treated with three times weekly NB-UVB in combination with a weekly dose of 12.5 mg MTX. The total duration of treatment was 6 months, patients were followed up every 2 months, and the assessment tools were VASI (repigmentation indicator) and VIDA (disease activity indicator) scores.

RESULTS: Both treatment groups showed improvement in VASI and VIDA scores during 6-month follow-up, but no statistical significance was found between the two treatment methods.

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that both treatment modalities were equally effective, and further studies are required to evaluate the efficacy of MTX with other medications with longer follow-up and a larger sample size.