You may remember a while back, there was a survey being conducted by The University of Nottingham to find out which are the biggest research questions about vitiligo doctors and patients want answered. Well, the results are out. You can read the report here for free.
In total, 660 treatment uncertainties were submitted by 461 participants (patients 72%, health care professionals 23%, did not specify 5%). Here is the top 10 list of research questions that people want answered:
- How effective are systemic immunosuppressants in treating vitiligo?
- How much do psychological interventions help people with vitiligo?
- Which treatment is more effective for vitiligo: light therapy or calcineurin inhibitors?
- How effective is ultraviolet B therapy when combined with creams or ointments in treating vitiligo?
- What role might gene therapy play in the treatment of vitiligo?
- How effective are hormones or hormone-related substances that stimulate pigment cells (melanocyte-stimulating hormone analogues, afamelanotide) in treating vitiligo?
- Which treatment is more effective for vitiligo: calcineurin inhibitors or steroid creams/ointments?
- Which treatment is more effective for vitiligo: steroid creams/ointments or light therapy?
- How effective is the addition of psychological interventions to patients using cosmetic camouflage for improving their quality of life?
- How effective is pseudocatalase cream (combined with brief exposure to ultraviolet B) in treating vitiligo?
Do you agree with the list? I'm a little disappointed diet didn't make the list.
Replies
me too....I am a strong believer that diet plays a big role. I have been almost vegan since May and have responded really well to pro topic and sunlight. Last week I was skiing in Austria and it was hard to follow my dietary restrictions plus to be honest I was bored of it so I ate pretty much what I wanted and now I have started to itch around my vitiligo patches which has not happened for ages! go figure!
I too think that diet should have made it on to the list. Items 2 and 9 could have been combined into one question. But I suppose given the absence of other professions working in the field, it's no surprise the bias is towards medical interventions.