Photosensitivity and anti-Ro (SS-A) antibodies in black patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

Ninety-two patients with SLE, 36 black and 56 white, were studied prospectively for photosensitivity and anti-Ro (SS-A) and anti-La (SS-B) antibodies. Photosensitivity was found in 19% of black patients, compared to 71% of white patients (p = 0.001). Anti-Ro antibodies were found in 69% of black and 54% of white patients (p = 0.013). Photosensitivity was present in 87% of Ro-positive white patients and in 54% of Ro-negative white patients (p = 0.007). However, in black patients with SLE there was a strong negative association: 4% of Ro-positive patients were photosensitive while 55% of Ro-negatives were photosensitive (p = 0.001). This suggests that black SLE patients may possess a factor which 'blocks' photosensitivity, perhaps by preventing local tissue damage caused by the interaction of Ro antibodies and ultraviolet light.