ULTRAVIOLET-A1 IRRADIATION DECREASES CLINICAL-DISEASE ACTIVITY AND AUTOANTIBODIES IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS

In this study we assess the effect of ultraviolet radiation, exclusive ly within the UV-A1 (340 - 400 nm) range, on disease activity in SLE. Ten SLE patients were irradiated for 15 days, four of them then contin uing treatment for 8 months, with low doses (60 kJ/m(2)/d) of UV-A1 ir radiation. They were assessed clinically and serologically before, aft er 3 weeks, and after 8 months of therapy. Clinical indices of disease decreased in the 10 patients after 3 weeks by 39%; they decreased in the four patients irradiated for 8 months by 70%. Antibodies to Sjogre n's syndrome A (anti-SSA) or antinuclear antibodies (ANA) decreased or disappeared in most patients. There were no side effects. In this unc ontrolled study, UV-A1 irradiation appears to have beer? an effective and seemingly innocuous therapeutic modality for patients with SLE, de creasing signs and symptoms of disease, diminishing levels of autoanti bodies and increasing in effectiveness with time.