Psoriasis is seen in genetically predisposed individuals and it tends to run in families. About 30% of people with one first degree relative with psoriasis develop the condition.
This genetic tendency of psoriasis appears to need to be triggered by some factors like infection, certain medications, stress, and skin trauma for the disease to manifest.
This means that you do not inherit psoriasis as a disease, but inherit a tendency to get the disease. In other words, your life style and other triggering factors are really responsible for you getting psoriasis.
And, the good news is that if you learn to avoid these triggers of psoriasis, you can learn to live with psoriasis without the disease compromising your quality of life!
The Triggers of Psoriasis
The triggering event may be unknown in most cases of psoriasis but is likely an insult to the skin or body which induces a cascade of immunologic events resulting in the disease known as psoriasis.
Over the past decade, the view of the pathogenesis of psoriasis has dramatically changed. Previously it was assumed that keratinocyte hyper proliferation associated with abnormal epidermal differentiation was the primary cause of psoriasis. However, it is now recognized that epidermal hyperplasia is a reaction to the activation of the immune system in focal skin regions, which, in turn, is mediated by CD8+ and CD4+ T lymphocytes that accumulate in diseased skin. Indeed, psoriasis is now recognized as the most prevalent T-cell–mediated inflammatory disease in humans.
Hence it is almost clear now that whatever be the trigger, the final event is the immunological T-cell mediated inflammations and cellular changes that is the cause for induction and flare up of psoriasis.
Perceived stress can cause exacerbation of psoriasis. Some authors suggest that psoriasis is a stress-related disease and offer findings of increased concentrations of neurotransmitters in psoriatic plaques.
Guttate psoriasis has been recognized to appear following certain immunologically active events, such as streptococcal pharyngitis, cessation of steroid therapy, and use of antimalarial drugs.
Also of significance is that 2.5% of those with HIV develop psoriasis during the course of the disease, implicating immune factors in the causation of psoriasis.
Local trauma to the skin is known to trigger psoriasis is susceptible persons. Smoking, alcohol etc have also been known to exacerbate psoriasis. Climate, dietary habits, hormones and some associated diseases etc also have to be considered while discussing psoriasis triggers.
We will now examine each of these triggers of psoriasis in detail.
Next: Stress, Skin Injury & Infections as Psoriasis Triggers
Reference
Psoriasis, in Rook’s Textbook of Dermatology, 7th Edition, 2004
Hanish Babu - Dr.Hanish Babu, MD is a dermatologist and a feature writer on Suite101.com with more than 200 articles related to skin diseases on the ...
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