The effects of ultraviolet radiation on the human immune system

Duthie, Malcolm S.; Kimber, Ian; Norval, Mary

doi:10.1046/j.1365-2133.1999.02898.x

Cited by 209 publications

(182 citation statements)

References 140 publications

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“…The corresponding inverse association between UVR levels in Australia and type 1 diabetes prevalence is also consistent with previous photoimmunologic work showing that ultraviolet B irradiation has systemic as well as local immunosuppressive effects in humans and animals Duthie et al 1999;Garssen et al 1999;Sleijffers et al 2001), as does also ultraviolet A irradiation (Nghiem et al 2001). UVR exposure may be protective against Th1-mediated disorders such as type 1 diabetes by downregulating Th1 autoimmune responses by several different immunoregulatory mechanisms Duthie et al 1999;Ponsonby et al 2002).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 75%

Ecologic analysis of some immune-related disorders, including type 1 diabetes, in Australia: latitude, regional ultraviolet radiation, and disease prevalence.

Staples

Ponsonby

Lim

et al. 2003

Environ Health Perspect

157

104

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The apparent immune-suppressive effect of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) has suggested that this environmental exposure may influence the development of immune-related disorders. Self-reported prevalence rates of type 1 diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), eczema/dermatitis, and asthma, from the 1995 Australian National Health Survey, were therefore examined by latitude and ambient level of UVR. A positive association of type 1 diabetes mellitus prevalence was found with both increasing southern latitude of residence (r = 0.77; p = 0.026) and decreasing regional annual ambient UVR (r = -0.80; p = 0.018); a 3-fold increase in prevalence from the northernmost region to the southernmost region was evident. In contrast, asthma correlated negatively with latitude (r = -0.72; p = 0.046), although the change in asthma prevalence from the north to the south of Australia was only 0.7-fold. For both RA and eczema/dermatitis, there were no statistically significant associations between latitude/UVR and disease prevalence. These ecologic data provide some support for a previously proposed beneficial effect of UVR on T-helper 1-mediated autoimmune disorders such as type 1 diabetes. The inverse association of type 1 diabetes prevalence with UVR is consistent with that previously reported for another autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis, in Australia, and also with type 1 diabetes latitudinal gradients in the Northern Hemisphere. The finding also accords with photoimmunologic evidence of UVR-induced immunosuppression and may suggest a beneficial effect of UVR in reducing the incidence of such autoimmune conditions. In light of this study, analytic epidemiologic studies investigating risk of immune disorders in relation to personal UVR exposure in humans are required.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 75%

Ecologic analysis of some immune-related disorders, including type 1 diabetes, in Australia: latitude, regional ultraviolet radiation, and disease prevalence.

Staples

Ponsonby

Lim

et al. 2003

Environ Health Perspect

157

104

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…It triggers cytokine production (5), regulates surface expression of adhesion molecules (6), affects cellular mitosis (7), and induces apoptotic cell death (8). UV radiation may also alter the expression of, cellular location of, or immune responses to autoantigens (9,10). Although little is known about the role of UV radiation in the development of autoimmune diseases, it has been anecdotally associated with the development of some disorders (3,11) and is known to increase the clinical expression of conditions characterized by photosensitive rashes, such as lupus and dermatomyositis (DM) (12).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Global surface ultraviolet radiation intensity may modulate the clinical and immunologic expression of autoimmune muscle disease

Okada

Targoff

Wesley

et al. 2003

Arthritis & Rheumatism

165

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Objective. To determine if geoclimatic factors may influence the nature and frequency of dermatomyositis (DM), polymyositis, and associated autoantibodies around the world.Methods. We assessed, in the first global evaluation of these conditions, the relationship between 13 geoclimatic variables that may modulate disease and the relative proportion of DM and its associated autoantibody anti-Mi-2, directed against an SNF2-superfamily helicase associated with the nucleosome remodeling and histone acetylation and deacetylation complex, in a global myositis population. Altogether, 919 consecutive patients from populations at 15 locations were studied.Results. Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that of the variables evaluated, surface ultraviolet (UV) radiation intensity (irradiance) most strongly contributed to the relative proportion of DM and was strongly related to the proportion of anti-Mi-2 autoantibodies (weighted r ‫؍‬ 0.939, P < 4 ؋ 10 -7 and weighted r ‫؍‬ 0.69, P ‫؍‬ 0.02, respectively). Published ethnogeographic immunogenetic allele frequencies imply that the striking differences in the proportion of DM-and DM-specific autoantibodies observed around the world are not the result of inherent global variations in known genetic risk factors.Conclusion. These data suggest that UV radiation exposure may modulate the clinical and immunologic expression of an autoimmune disease in different populations around the world.

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“…1). According to the International Commission on Illumination, UV radiation is divided into three categories depending on the wavelength: long wave UVA (315-400 nm), medium wave UVB (280-315 nm), and short wave UVC (100-280 nm) [2][3][4] . The ozone layer efficiently absorbs UV radiation up to about 310 nm thus it consumes all UVC and most of UVB (95 %).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%