Every year over seven million people in the United States, suffer from a chronic skin condition that can become very severe.
Psoriasis inflames the surface and creates red plaques that are extremely itchy.
Over a twenty year period, a large number of women who were all nurses took part in study.
Of the total included over fifteen hundred went on to develop psoriasis and the data shows that these women were more at risk from both hypertension and diabetes.
Although the sample studied by the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, involved only white women and is therefore fairly limited, it does show that more research should be undertaken in this area.
Heading the research Dr. Abrar Qureshi considers that the condition is much more than a disorder of the skin; severe cases can cause depression, arthritis and other long term illness. For Qureshi psoriasis is a systemic disorder and found that many sufferers rejected steroid treatment very quickly.
The data recently published in the Archives of Dermatology magazine found that other factors such as smoking, age and weight did not seem significant. The latter are commonly associated with the condition.
The women were checked over a substantial period for a variety of issues relating to their general health. It is believed that the connection between the psoriasis and high blood pressure or diabetes is because of the causal inflammation that creates this skin condition.
The link between psoriasis and diabetes, in particular is very significant and with further research including males and other ethnic groups it could be advantageous in understanding more about this field.
Very informative article.