{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]],"date-time":"2026-09-03T16:24:38Z","timestamp":1788452678757,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)","issue":"2","content-domain":{"domain":["lww.com","ovid.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,3]]},"abstract":"Abstract<\/jats:title>\n \n Background:<\/jats:title>\n Vitiligo is an acquired multifactorial depigmentation disorder with dreadful social stigma without any gold standard treatment option. Treatment of unstable vitiligo is, furthermore limited. Hydroxychloroquine has shown promise in a few case reports.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Objectives:<\/jats:title>\n The effectiveness, tolerability and safety of narrow-band ultraviolet B (NBUVB)-plus topical clobetasol (group A) versus oral hydroxychloroquine-plus topical clobetasol (0.05%) (group B) were evaluated.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods:<\/jats:title>\n Single-centre, investigator-blind, randomised, active-controlled, parallel-group phase IV trial (CTRI\/2019\/07\/020345) was conducted on unstable vitiligo of either sex. Patients were randomised into two groups (1:1 allocation ratio), and allocation concealment was ensured by the sequentially numbered, sealed, opaque envelope technique. The assessing physician was unaware regarding treatment allocation. Outcome measures were the vitiligo area scoring index (VASI), vitiligo disease activity score (VIDA) and dermatology life quality index (DLQI). The economic burden of therapy was calculated in terms of travel costs and loss of time for availing of the therapy. Routine haematological and biochemical tests and treatment-emergent adverse events were monitored for safety. The calculated sample size was 82 (5% alpha-error, 80% power, 61.1% and 30% percentage improvement in study groups, 10% drop-out).<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results:<\/jats:title>\n \n Intention-to-treat analysis showed significant improvement in VASI (Friedman\u2019s analysis of variance,\n P<\/jats:italic>\n < 0.01) in group A (1048.00 \u00b1 1450.10 reduced to 933.43 \u00b1 1387.79) and group B (415.00 \u00b1 458.47 reduced to 283.85 \u00b1 386.61) at the end-of-treatment visit (24\n th<\/jats:sup>\n week). Improvement was noted from 12 weeks onwards in group A and eight weeks onwards in group B (post-hoc Dunn\u2019s test,\n P<\/jats:italic>\n < 0.001). Within group comparison showed significantly more improvement in group B than group A from eight weeks onwards (\n P<\/jats:italic>\n < 0.05, analysis of covariance test with baseline VASI as covariate). A similar result was obtained with VIDA. DLQI significantly improved only in group B. The monthly cost of travel and loss of time were significantly less (Mann-Whitney\u2019s test,\n P<\/jats:italic>\n < 0.5) in group B than group A. No adverse events were noted in either group.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion:<\/jats:title>\n Both NBUVB and hydroxychloroquine combined with topical clobetasol are safe and effective agents in the treatment of vitiligo, though the improvement is more and faster with hydroxychloroquine. With hydroxychloroquine, there is no infrastructural requirement, less travel cost and less loss of working hours as opposed to NBUVB, which needs infrastructural set-up.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.4103\/ijd.ijd_78_24","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,28]],"date-time":"2025-02-28T05:15:25Z","timestamp":1740719725000},"page":"115-115","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/lww.0000000000001000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Effectiveness, Tolerability and Safety of Topical Clobetasol with Oral Hydroxychloroquine versus Topical Clobetasol with NBUVB Phototherapy in Unstable Vitiligo: Investigator Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial"],"prefix":"10.4103","volume":"70","author":[{"given":"Dhiman","family":"Tarafdar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"From the Department of Dermatology, Bankura Sammilani Medical College, Kenduadihi, Bankura, West Bengal, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Indrayudh","family":"Sen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"From the Department of Dermatology, Bankura Sammilani Medical College, Kenduadihi, Bankura, West Bengal, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sankha","family":"Koley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"From the Department of Dermatology, Bankura Sammilani Medical College, Kenduadihi, Bankura, West Bengal, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Biswarup","family":"Ray","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"From the Department of Ophthalmology, Bankura Sammilani Medical College, Kenduadihi, Bankura, West Bengal, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pinaki","family":"Sarkar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"From the Department of Biochemistry, Bankura Sammilani Medical College, Kenduadihi, Bankura, West Bengal, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amrita","family":"Sil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology, Rampurhat Government Medical College, Rampurhat, Birbhum, West Bengal, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Arghyaprasun","family":"Ghosh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"From the Department of Dermatology, Bankura Sammilani Medical College, Kenduadihi, Bankura, West Bengal, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nilay K.","family":"Das","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital, Kamarhati, Kolkata, West Bengal, 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