AIDS TREATMENT NEWS No. 058 - June 3, 1988
John S. James
* It has long been known that ultraviolet light can damage or suppress the Langerhans cells of the skin. These cells are an important part of the immune system, and have recently become a focus for intensive research on AIDS.
* Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control have found the onset of AIDS, as well as almost all opportunistic infections, peak in the summer, when ultraviolet exposure from sunlight is highest.
* The recent article in Nature reported that ultraviolet light increased the activity of HIV genes as much as 150 times in laboratory tests. (An unrelated virus, tested as a control, showed little or no such effect.) Exposure to half an hour of direct sunlight increased the HIV activity 12 times. HIV is known to infect Langerhans cells in the skin, which are exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun or other sources.
We asked two AIDS-knowledgeable physicians what they knew about the dangers of sunlight to persons with AIDS, ARC, or asymptomatic HIV infection. Neither had seen the Nature article; both urged normal caution. One warned especially that a number of drugs used by persons with AIDS make the skin much more sensitive to the sun than usual.
For more information, see "A Warning About Sun Exposure From the Guerilla Clinics". This short article has 20 technical references. For a free copy send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Jim Henry, 700 Taylor St. Apt. 201, San Francisco, CA 94108.
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