Disease relevance of Heliotherapy

• The bullous lesions developed after partial thymomectomy, cobalt (60Co) irradiation, and 3 days' extensive sunbathing, although a retrospective study of the patient's sera by quantitative indirect immunofluorescence method indicated that antiepithelial antibody already was positive before the clinical appearance of pemphigus vulgaris [1].
• Effect of psoriasis heliotherapy on epidermal urocanic acid isomer concentrations [2].

High impact information on Heliotherapy

• Analysis of the interaction between GSTM1 null and sunbathing score showed that the two factors were synergistic and individuals with both risk parameters demonstrated a shorter time from transplantation to development of the first SCC (p = 0.012, hazard ratio = 7.1) [3].
• Of all participants, those who used the SPF 30 sunscreen and had no sunburn spent the highest number of hours in sunbathing activities [4].
• CONCLUSIONS: About a quarter of US White adults report frequent sunbathing, and only about a quarter of sunbathers use sunscreens at recommended levels [5].
• A dose-response relationship in serum 25OHD levels was observed for sunbathing frequency before and after adjusting for age (P< 0.05) [6].
• The patient recalled that 10 years previously, a similar eruption had appeared after sunbathing, while she was taking only cinnarizine [7].

Associations of Heliotherapy with chemical compounds

• Suberythemal sun exposures caused near-maximal UCA isomerization, and during heliotherapy the cis isomer constituted 63.7-74.3% of the total UCA concentration [2].
• Frequent sunbathing does not greatly affect the total number of organisms on the skin, but does tend to increase the proportion of bacteria containing carotenoid pigments [8].

Gene context of Heliotherapy

• OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of 3 hours sun exposure daily in the heliotherapy of psoriasis at the Dead Sea during the months March to December; and to monitor the associated ambient doses of solar UVB radiation [9].

References