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Insights from a trial of narrowband UVB for early multiple sclerosis

There is a greater prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurological autoimmune condition, in populations living further from the equator, hypothesised to be due to reduced sunlight exposure. There exists a proven sunlight surrogate therapy for dermatological inflammatory conditions, in the form of narrowband NB-UVB phototherapy. Yet, there is a paucity of randomized trials of the therapeutic delivery of NB-UVB beyond dermatology for conditions with a systemic inflammatory component. 

Citation:
Hart PH, Trend S, Kermode AG, Leffler J, MacMahon J. Insights from a trial of narrowband UVB for early multiple sclerosis. Photochem Photobiol Sci. 2026.

Keywords:
Human trial; Multiple sclerosis; Narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy; Treatment of autoimmune disease

Abstract:
There is a greater prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurological autoimmune condition, in populations living further from the equator, hypothesised to be due to reduced sunlight exposure. There exists a proven sunlight surrogate therapy for dermatological inflammatory conditions, in the form of narrowband NB-UVB phototherapy. Yet, there is a paucity of randomized trials of the therapeutic delivery of NB-UVB beyond dermatology for conditions with a systemic inflammatory component.