HI-Light Vitiligo Trial
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Home Interventions and Light therapy for the treatment of vitiligo
IRAS ID
162392
Contact name
Jonathan Batchelor
Contact email
Eudract number
2014-003473-42
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 2 months, 31 days
Research summary
Vitiligo causes loss of pigment on the skin and white patches appear in the affected areas. This condition affects around 1% of the population worldwide, and patients with vitiligo can experience problems such as shame, depression, and low self-esteem due to the appearance of their skin.
There is no cure for vitiligo, as the cause of the condition is not understood. Small patches of vitiligo are usually treated with topical steroid ointments. Ultraviolet B light therapy (also known as NB-UVB) is also sometimes offered as a treatment, but it involves frequent visits to hospital and is mainly for large areas when vitiligo is more widespread. Hand-held NB-UVB light units are available to use in the home on small patches of vitiligo. However, these units are not available on the NHS. There is not a lot of information about how well steroid creams and light therapy work to improve the appearance of vitiligo. and we do not know whether they would work, or work better, together. The HI-Light trial has been designed to test these two commonly used treatments: topical steroid ointment and NB-UVB light therapy. The trial aims to find out more information about how well the treatments work, and to find out if they work, or work better, when used together.
This study will recruit 440 adults and children over the age of 5 across the UK who have non-segmental vitiligo, and at least one patch of vitiligo which has appeared or gotten larger in the past 12 months. Participants will be asked to treat their vitiligo patches with ointment and a light therapy unit, at home, for a period of 9 months. Understanding more about how well these treatments work to improve the appearance of vitiligo could help to improve future care for patients with vitiligo.
REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/EM/1173
Date of REC Opinion
27 Oct 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion