NCT00447083

Benefits of Tanning in Fibromyalgia Patients

A Pilot Study of the Effect of Ultraviolet Light on Pain in Persons With Fibromyalgia Syndrome

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 19 (actual)
• Sponsor: Wake Forest University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 25 Years – 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

* To establish whether ultraviolet light exposure acutely reduces perceptions of pain in patients with fibromyalgia. * To establish whether a series of UV light exposures has a cumulative effect on fibromyalgia pain.

Detailed description

Fibromyalgia is a common chronic disorder characterized by widespread pain and fatigue. It occurs primarily in women, especially women of childbearing age. The effectiveness of treatment for this disorder is limited, and alternative medical treatments are commonly used. Ultraviolet (UV) light exposure gives a sense of relaxation. It is unknown whether UV exposure has any effect on pain, particularly in patients with fibromyalgia. Through studies performed with RO3 funding from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), we demonstrated that in frequent tanners, appearance is less important than UV-induced relaxation in motivating tanning behavior. Moreover, we determined that UV light has reinforcing properties apart from any psychosocial benefits of having a tan. One subject in our study reported low back pain relief from the UV exposure condition. This is a two-year proposal that is the beginning of a long-term plan to assess whether indoor tanning ultraviolet light exposure has a therapeutic effect for patients with chronic pain. To this end, we will determine the effect of UV light on fibromyalgia pain in a controlled, double blind clinical trial of UV exposure. This approach is carefully designed to separate the effects of UV exposure on pain from potential confounds associated with the tanning procedure, including any perceived benefits of having a tan. The results of this study will increase our understanding of the specific influence of UV light on persistence in tanning behavior.

Conditions

• Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	UVB	UVB exposure by a tanning bed
PROCEDURE	Non-UVB	Non-UVB exposure by a tanning bed

Timeline

• Start date: 2005-05-01
• Primary completion: 2008-09-01
• Completion: 2008-09-01
• First posted: 2007-03-14
• Last updated: 2018-11-13
• Results posted: 2018-11-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated device study