A systematic review of Light Emitting Diode (LED) phototherapy for treatment of psoriasis: An emerging therapeutic modality

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition. The economic burden of psoriasis is approximately $35.2 billion in the United States per year, and treatment costs are increasing at a higher rate than general inflation. Light emitting diode (LED) phototherapy may represent a cost-effective, efficacious, safe, and portable treatment modality for psoriasis. Objective: The goal of our manuscript is to review the published literature and provide evidence-based recommendations on LED phototherapy for the treatment of psoriasis. Methods &Materials: A search of the databases Pubmed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and CINAHL was performed on April 5, 2016. Key search terms were related to psoriasis and LED-based therapies. Results: A total of 7,793 articles were generated from the initial search and 5 original articles met inclusion criteria for our review. Grade of recommendation: B for LED-blue light. Grade of recommendation: C for LED-ultraviolet B, LED-red light, and combination LED-near-infrared and LED-red light. Conclusion: We envision further characterizing the effects of LED phototherapy to treat psoriasis in patients may increase adoption of LED-based modalities and provide clinicians and patients with new therapeutic options that balance safety, efficacy, and cost. D