What is it in sunlight that causes lupus to flare and causes rashes to develop in particular?
It is the ultraviolet (UV) waves in the sunlight. Ultraviolet light in the UVA and UVB wavebands is responsible. UV light damages cells in the skin (keratinocytes) causing them to die. In healthy people without lupus, these dead cells are cleared away quickly and any inflammation induced by the sun-induced skin damage is short-lived (sunburn). However in lupus patients, the skin cells may be more sensitive to sun-induced damage and there is increasing evidence that the dying (apoptotic) cells are not cleared away efficiently. As a result the contents of the dying cells may be released and cause inflammation. Also, cell contents such as DNA (the genetic material) and other molecules including Ro which are never normally exposed to cells of the immune system are available to generate (start) an immune response. Immune responses and inflammation are the normal reactions of the body to infection, but here they are being generated inappropriately by the dying cells and the body mounts an im
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