Psoriasis Day raises awareness about the skin condition psoriasis as well as psoriatic arthritis. Over 125 million people worldwide live with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, so it’s important to shed light on these conditions and educate others, too.
Gluten-free diet may improve psoriasis
A gluten-free diet is known to aid in celiac disease, but it may also be able to improve your psoriasis as well. Many psoriasis patients have opted to go gluten-free and have found relief for their psoriasis even though there is little scientific evidence to support this practice. But as more and more psoriasis patients go gluten-free, science is taking a closer look at this trend.
In preliminary studies, researchers examined if psoriasis patients were more likely to have gliadin antibodies. Gliadin is a wheat protein that people who are sensitive to gluten can’t ingest. Some studies revealed psoriasis patients do carry such antibodies, while others did not.
The most notable study on gluten and psoriasis was conducted based on the Nurses’ Health Study, involving questionnaires completed by over 82,000 nurses. The study found that women who drank beers five times a week were more likely to develop psoriasis compared to those who didn’t. You may not think beer has anything to do with gluten, but it contains barley, which triggers gluten sensitivities. Continue reading…
Psoriasis and vitiligo are two conditions that cause changes to the skin. Vitiligo is not contagious, nor is it life threatening, but it can definitely alter a person’s life. Depending on where the skin is discolored, vitiligo may affect a person’s self-esteem – for example, if it affects their face or other exposed areas. Individuals may not want to go out in public and there is even a risk of developing depression associated with self-image.
Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition caused by quick growth of skin cells and inflammation. Under normal conditions, skin cells grow, live, die, and fall off on a regular basis. When someone has psoriasis, skin cells grow rapidly and don’t fall off. As a result, the cells build up on the surface of the skin, and you end up with thick, scaly patches on your knees, elbows, lower back, or even your scalp. Continue reading…
Psoriasis skin inflammation treatments improve heart disease symptoms by blocking the immune system response that causes inflammation. It is estimated that 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis. Although it is a skin condition, the effects of psoriasis run deep. In fact, psoriasis is a known risk factor for heart disease.
Jashin J. Wu, director of dermatology research at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, said, “People with psoriasis, particularly those with more severe disease, have an increased risk for a variety of other health problems, including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, and heart attack. Psoriasis patients, even those with mild disease, need to be aware of how this condition affects their overall health.” Continue reading…
Psoriasis drug may help treat Alzheimer’s disease, according to research findings. The number of people living with dementia is expected to grow exponentially by the year 2050, so there is a pressing need for treatment options for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia is one of the most common health problems among the elderly.
Researchers at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have found that Alzheimer’s disease may possibly be treated with a common psoriasis drug, as it activates the enzyme ADAM10 in Alzheimer’s disease patients. The enzyme is capable of suppressing Alzheimer’s disease-related effects, namely, impaired cerebral function.
Although the exact Alzheimer’s trigger is unknown, it is established that activity of certain enzymes does play a role in the onset and development of the disease. The researchers targeted ADAM10 by administering an oral drug commonly used for psoriasis to Alzheimer’s patients. The drug led to elevated levels of the nerve cell-protecting growth factor APPs-alpha in their spinal fluid. This stimulates the activity of ADAM10, which reduces the buildup of amyloid plaques commonly seen in Alzheimer’s disease. ADAM10 has been shown to improve memory and enhance learning capability. Continue reading…
Psoriasis increases the risk of Crohn’s disease in women. Research revealed that women with psoriasis have a fourfold risk of developing Crohn’s disease, based on data from two large cohort studies. On the other hand, psoriasis did not increase the risk of ulcerative colitis in either cohort.
Reversing the association, an alternative study found a 13 percent psoriasis prevalence among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Researcher Abrar A. Qureshi said, “Certainly, this is a preliminary study, but it does begin to make sense because we are seeing patients with Crohn’s disease and psoriasis overlap. The inflammatory pathways that have been identified at the genetic level in genome-wide association studies makes sense as well, because there is overlap in the interleukin-12 and interleukin-23 pathways in psoriasis and Crohn’s disease.” Continue reading…