Why Sunlight Exposure Can Cause Kidney Damage In SLE Patients
Exploring the skin-kidney crosstalk in systemic lupus erythematosus
The sunlight can be daunting for people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). SLE is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the host’s tissues. Unlike people with healthy immune systems, minimal exposure to UV light from the sun can cause skin rashes in those with SLE.
But mysteriously, apart from skin lesions, exposure to sunlight often also causes kidney damage — among other organs — in about half of SLE patients — a condition called systemic flares. Yet, nobody knows how it happens.
A 2021 study, led by Sladjana Skopelja-Gardner, Ph.D. and assistant professor of medicine at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, sheds light on the crosstalk between the skin and kidneys in SLE. They showed that an ultraviolet (UV) light-induced inflammatory response in the skin can spread to the kidneys.
SLE: When The Immune System Is Slow But More Aggressive
The sunlight comprises ~5% UV light. As it touches the skin, the skin cells (i.e., keratinocytes) absorb the UV light. This light may damage the cell’s DNA and other molecules inside.
