Childhood Photosensitivity Is No Fun

These conditions interfere with sports, vacation, and outdoor play.

Photosensitivity involving an abnormal cutaneous response to ultraviolet light sometimes occurs in children and interferes with their daily activities. Investigators employed a life-quality index to evaluate the effects of photosensitivity disease in 38 children (age, 4 to 16 years).

Nearly all participants indicated that photosensitivity adversely affected life quality. Photosensitivity diagnosis was shown to have a greater negative impact than psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, or chronic urticaria. The magnitude of the effect depended to a large extent on the cause of photosensitivity: Children with solar urticarial and polymorphous light eruption were the least affected; those with photoaggravated eczema and photoreactive skin type I were mod…

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)

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)