Efficacy and patient perception of grenz ray therapy in the treatment of dermatoses refractory to other medical therapy

Background: Grenz ray therapy (GRT) has been used to treat dermatoses refractory to other therapy. Patient's assessments to GRT alone have not been previously reported. Objective (1) To report the patterns of use of GRT at our center over a 10-year period and evaluate the efficacy of GRT in treating recalcitrant skin conditions, (2) to evaluate patient perceptions about GRT, and (3) to evaluate whether patients felt this form of treatment was worthwhile. Method. Cross-sectional survey by mailed questionnaire to patients treated with GRT from 1990 to 2001. Results: Of 351 patients treated with GRT from 1990 to 2001, 98 (28%) returned the questionnaire; 64% reported decreased severity or clearing of disease (p = .003), and 63% reported decreased or no discomfort (p = .006) 3 months following treatment. Overall, 54% said GRT was worthwhile, and 53% would choose it again; 40% reported mild side effects. Number of treatments (p = .2) or total dose (p = .25) were not significantly different among responders to GRT and nonresponders to GRT. In a subgroup of treated patients with a diagnosis of contact dermatitis (94% with hand dermatitis), 64% felt GRT was worthwhile and 77% indicated that they would choose this therapy again if needed. Conclusions: Many patients treated with GRT for recalcitrant dermatitis reported that this treatment was an effective therapy in decreasing the discomfort and severity of their skin condition. Overall, just more than half of treated patients believed GRT was a worthwhile therapy that they would use again.