April 19, 2012
THURSDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) — Scientists say they’ve identified the first gene directly linked to the most common form of psoriasis, known as plaque psoriasis.
“We have searched for almost two decades to find a single gene linked to plaque psoriasis,” study senior author Anne Bowcock, professor of genetics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said in a university news release. “Individually, the rare mutations we have found likely confer a high risk for the disease, and we think they will be important in the search to find new, more effective treatments.”
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March 16, 2012
FRIDAY, March 16 (HealthDay News) — People with the painful skin condition psoriasis may be at increased risk for health problems that affect the heart, an expert says.
Excessive inflammation is a major feature of psoriasis. Chronic inflammation is also a characteristic of insulin resistance, obesity, abnormal cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease, said Dr. Joel Gelfand, an assistant professor of dermatology and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia.
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March 2, 2012
By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, March 2 (HealthDay News) — Smokers are at higher risk of developing the autoimmune skin condition psoriasis than nonsmokers, a new study finds, possibly because smoking pushes the body’s immune system into overdrive, one expert suggests.
The research doesn’t directly prove that smoking causes psoriasis, and the wide majority of smokers would avoid developing the condition even if they faced an increased risk.
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February 2, 2012
THURSDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) — Sometimes, there’s nothing better than scratching an itch. And a new study suggests that where the itch resides is key to the pleasure derived from scratching.
The findings help improve understanding of itch and might even help folks battling itchy skin ailments, according to study author Dr. Gil Yosipovitch, a professor of dermatology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.
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November 25, 2011
FRIDAY, Nov. 25 (HealthDay News) — Patients hospitalized for autoimmune disorders, like rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn’s disease, may be at greater risk for a life-threatening pulmonary embolism, a clot in a main artery of the lung, a new study finds.
Reporting online Nov. 25 in The Lancet, researchers warned that steps should be taken to prevent this condition among patients admitted to the hospital for autoimmune diseases.
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November 21, 2011
By Denise Mann
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) — Many people with the skin disease psoriasis put a higher value on a treatment that suits their lifestyle than on out-of-pocket costs and side effects, a new German study finds.
As many as 7.5 million Americans have the chronic skin condition, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation. The most common type is plaque psoriasis, characterized by raised, red patches covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells.
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November 17, 2011
THURSDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) — Inflammation caused by psoriasis may trigger changes in a person’s cholesterol, including weakening the function of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good” cholesterol, new research suggests.
The researchers said that, if confirmed, their findings could help explain why people with psoriasis — a chronic skin condition — are at greater risk for heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death, especially if the psoriasis is moderate to severe.
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October 26, 2011
By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 26 (HealthDay News) — An experimental psoriasis treatment performed significantly better than the commonly prescribed medication methotrexate in a new clinical trial.
The drug briakinumab reduced psoriasis symptoms by at least 75 percent in nearly 82 percent of those taking it, compared to just 40 percent of those on methotrexate. But serious side effects were more common among the briakinumab users.
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October 13, 2011
THURSDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) — Nearly one in four Americans with the chronic skin condition known as psoriasis may also have undiagnosed psoriatic arthritis, according to a new study.
This is in addition to the 2 million people in the United States who have been diagnosed with the disease, a type of inflammatory arthritis that affects the joints and tendons and can lead to joint destruction and disability.
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September 21, 2011
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) — How children are treated for psoriasis may depend on whether they see a pediatrician, dermatologist or internist, a new study suggests.
About 1 percent of children from birth to age 18 are affected by psoriasis, a skin condition that can lead to patches of itchy, flaky, dry skin.
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