Low-Level Laser Therapy for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: A Prospective Single-Arm Clinical Study in Iraqi Patients
Keywords:
Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous, Low-Level Light Therapy, Lasers, Semiconductor, Wound HealingAbstract
Objective: To assess the clinical response and tolerability of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) using a 785 nm diode laser in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in a single-centre prospective single-arm clinical study.
Methods: Thirty-three patients (22 male, 11 female; age range 15–70 years) with 37 clinically diagnosed CL lesions were enrolled at the Laser Unit, University of Kufa, Najaf, Iraq (January 2019–January 2020). Patients received 12 sessions of diode LLLT (785 nm, 21×50 mW, 22.5 J per laser diode [J/LD], as recorded in the original study documentation) twice weekly. Lesion response was graded using the Sharquie–Al-Talib scale. Follow-up continued for 8 weeks post-treatment.
Results: Complete healing was observed in 33 of 37 lesions (89.2%; 95% CI, 74.6–97.0%), while 4 lesions (10.8%; 95% CI, 3.0–25.4%) showed marked improvement. No lesions were classified as having mild or moderate response. Subgroup findings were presented descriptively. Transient post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation occurred in 2 lesions (5.4%; 95% CI, 0.7–18.2%). No recurrence was observed during the 8-week follow-up.
Conclusion: In this uncontrolled single-arm study, LLLT using a 785 nm PowerTwin21 device was associated with a high observed clinical response and was well tolerated. The findings should be interpreted cautiously because there was no control group, diagnosis was clinical rather than laboratory confirmed, and follow-up was limited to 8 weeks. Controlled studies with longer follow-up are warranted.
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