Psoriasis and the Immune System: More Confusing Than Teenage Slang

On this week, we discuss psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune disease affecting 2-3% of Americans. It's characterized by red, flaky skin and linked to serious health conditions like arthritis and cardiovascular disease. It results from an overactive immune response which may be initiated or worsened by environmental factors such as stress, obesity, and smoking. Inside the body, immune molecules -including T helper cells, interleukins, and TYK2 - are overactive and lead to excessive skin cell production. Medications for moderate to severe psoriasis target these immune molecules, though more clinical trials are needed to balance with effectiveness with side effects.References:World Health Organization (WHO). (2016). Global report on psoriasis.  https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/global-report-on-psoriasisMichalek, I. M., Loring, B., & John, S. M. (2017). A systematic review of worldwide epidemiology of psoriasis. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 31(2), 205-212. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jdv.13854Armstrong, A. W., & Read, C. (2020). Pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and treatment of psoriasis: a review. Jama, 323(19), 1945-1960. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2766169Zhou, X., Chen, Y., Cui, L., Shi, Y., & Guo, C. (2022). Advances in the pathogenesis of psoriasis: from keratinocyte perspective. Cell death & disease, 13(1), 81. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8786887/Fauny, M., Moulin, D., d'Amico, F., Netter, P., Petitpain, N., Arnone, D., ... & Peyrin-Biroulet, L. (2020). Paradoxical gastrointestinal effects of interleukin-17 blockers. Annals of the rheumatic diseases, 79(9), 1132-1138. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003496724012342Gorman JA, Hundhausen C, Kinsman M, et al. The TYK2-P1104A autoimmune protective variant limits coordinate signals required to generate specialized T cell subsets. Front Immunol. 2019 Jan 25;10:44. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2019.00044/fullRendon, A., & Schäkel, K. (2019). Psoriasis pathogenesis and treatment. International journal of molecular sciences, 20(6), 1475. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/20/6/1475Share with a friend. Rate, Review, and Subscribe to MedEvidence! Articles to be notified when new episodes are released.Follow us on Social Media:FacebookInstagramTwitterLinkedInTiktokYoutubeFor more great content, including discussions by physicians and clinical research experts, check out the MedEvidence! Podcast and MedEvidence.comThank you for listening!