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Abstract: SA-PO410

Blood Pressure-Lowering Effects of Ultraviolet Light in Patients on Hemodialysis: Identification of Specific Wavelengths

Session Information

Category: Dialysis

  • 801 Dialysis: Hemodialysis and Frequent Dialysis

Authors

  • Yovanovich, Caroline, Medtronic, Northridge, California, United States
  • Weller, Richard Beresford, The University of Edinburgh Division of Health Sciences, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
  • Kotanko, Peter, Renal Research Institute, New York, New York, United States
  • Wang, Yuedong, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States
Background

Evidence from hemodialysis (HD) patients suggests an inverse correlation between solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation and systolic blood pressure (SBP) (Weller, J Am Heart Assoc; 2020). The exact nature of this relationship across the UV spectrum remains unknown.

Methods

Using longitudinal pre-dialysis SBP measurements and UV and temperature data from public sources, we explored whether distinct UV wavelengths (280 to 400 nm) are associated with SBP reduction. We used longitudinal SBP measurements from 2,214 HD patients and obtained daily ground-level UV spectral irradiance and temperature. Treating UV radiation over wavelengths as functional data, we fit functional linear mixed effects models with longitudinal SBP as the response variable and daily UV radiation functions as the independent variable, adjusting for hypertension, age, access type, BMI, IDWG, ESA dose, hemoglobin, serum albumin, Na+, K+, ambient temperature, and trend over time.

Results

Wavelengths <325 nm were associated with a decline of SBP, when adjusted for clinical variables. While still significant, adjusting for ambient temperature muted the effect size (Fig. 1).

Conclusion

These findings corroborate and expand previous findings of an association between solar UV light and SBP reduction. Narrow band 311 nm phototherapy lamps to treat psoriasis were developed based on the maximal divergence between therapeutic and erythemal/carcinogenic effects at this wavelength. We hypothesize that such lamps could similarly offer SBP lowering effects.

Fig. 1: Wavelength vs. SBP lowering effects. The solid black line indicates the effect with adjustment for clinical variables, the red dashed line with additional adjustment for ambient temperature.

Funding

  • Commercial Support – Renal Research Institute