THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF CODED UNANI FORMULATIONS IN THEMANAGEMENT OF VITILIGO —A CASE STUDY AT NRIUMSD, HYDERABAD, INDIA

Abstract

Background:

Baraṣ (Vitiligo) is a long-lasting skin condition characterized by milky white patches on the skin that may gradually increase and cover the entire surface of the body. In the conventional system of medicine, the success rate in the treatment of vitiligo is limited and often accompanied by adverse effect. Although few case records were documented in Unani medicine but they lack of proper quantitative assessment.

Methodology:

This case study reports the treatment outcome of a 29-year-old male patient with Vitiligo, who attended the outpatient department of NRIUMSD, Hyderabad. The VASI Scale was used at every follow-up as an assessment tool, in addition to pre and post treatment photographs, to assess and demonstrate the differences in treatment outcomes.

Result:

Pre-treatment VASI Score was 3.2. After 2 months of initiation of therapy, no significant reduction in the size of vitiligo patches was observed, with a VASI Score of 3.1. However, on the second visit, 4 months post-initiation of therapy, a noticeable reduction in patches was seen with VASI Score of 2.6. Further, improvement was observed on the third visit after 6 months of initiation of therapy, with a highly significant reduction in vitiligo patches and the VASI Score was 0.5 with 84.375% reduction confirmed by photographs.

Conclusion:

In this case, treatments with coded Unani formulation (UNIM-004 and UNIM-005) followed by sunlight exposure led to significant repigmentation and complete resolution of some vitiligo patches within six months. The progressive improvement is validating the traditional Unani approach.