Dead sea bath salt for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris: A double- blind controlled study

Background: The beneficial effect of the Dead Sea (DS) area is psoriasis is attributed in part to the DS water, which has a high content of minerals. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the sole therapeutic effect of DS salt in psoriasis. Patients and Methods: Thirty patients with psoriasis vulgaris, involving · 15% body area, were included in the study, which was conducted in a double-blind controlled manner. Treatment consisted of once daily baths, healed to 35°C, of 20 min duration, for 3 weeks, of either DS bath salt (group I) or common salt (group II). Clinical evaluation was based on Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score determination before and after treatment. Results: Twenty-five patients (13 in group I and 12 in group II) terminated the treatment protocol. In both groups, treated by DS bath salt and common salt, respectively, the mean PASI score before treatment (18.6 ± 9.4 and 15.7 ± 7.1, respectively) decreased significantly at the end of the treatment (11.4 ± 6.1 and 11.4 ± 6.6, respectively). The mean percentage reduction of PASI score at the end of the treatment regimen, was higher in patients treated with DS bath salt (34.8%) compared to patients treated with common salt (27.5%) (P > 0.05). The mean percentage reduction a month after termination of the treatment protocol was higher in patients treated with DS bath salt (43.6%) than in those treated with common salt (24%) (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The present study implies a beneficial effect to bathing with either DS bath salt or common salt as a sole therapy for psoriasis vulgaris. However, we observed an enhanced beneficial effect of DS bath salt compared to common salt.