Photosensitivity Disorders Are No Picnic

More than 30% of survey respondents reported major adverse effects on quality of life.

Photosensitivity disorders that involve low tolerance to ultraviolet radiation are usually chronic. Moderate and severe conditions require adjustments in daily activities, including the use of sunscreens and the avoidance of outdoor activities. To determine how adults with photosensitivity disease cope, investigators in the U.K. provided lifestyle questionnaires to 125 unaffected control subjects and 45 patients with moderate-to-severe photosensitivity disorders (including polymorphous light eruption, photoaggravated eczema, solar urticaria, photosensitive psoriasis, chronic actinic dermatitis, photocontact dermatitis, actinic prurigo, and erythropoietic protoporphyria).

Photosensitive patients spent less time outdoors in the summer than con…

Reviewing Author

Craig A. Elmets, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory board Astellas Pharmaceuticals

EquityVaxin

Grant / Research support NIH; NIH/NCI; Veteran’s Administration; Ferndale Laboratories; Kyowa Hakko Kirin Pharma, Inc.

Editorial boards Cancer Prevention Research; Photodermatology, Photoimmunology, & Photomedicine; UpToDate; eMedicine; Journal of Dermatological Sciences; JAMA Dermatology

Leadership positions in professional societies American Academy of Dermatology (Vice Chair, Committee on Science and Research); Photomedicine Society (Board of Directors)