Now a college soccer coach in Iowa, he is constantly outside practicing in the sun. Recently, Blair suffered a severe sunburn after only 45 minutes of sun exposure on a cool, partly sunny morning. Azulfidine is one of the many medications included in the Food and Drug Administration's most recent listing of medications that increase sensitivity to light and can cause a wide variety of health problems known as photosensitivity disorders.
Some products are more likely to cause reactions than others.
And not everyone who uses the products will be affected. Medications, food additives, and other products that contain photoreactive agents are called photosensitizing products. Photoreactive agents, such as Azulfidine, can cause both acute and chronic effects. Chronic effects from long-term exposure include premature skin aging, stronger allergic reactions, cataracts, blood vessel damage, a weakened immune system, and skin cancer. Sometimes this quality can be put to good medical use.