
Psoriasis severity may influence type 2 diabetes risk
People living with psoriasis are not only at higher risk of type 2 diabetes, but their risk also rises in line with the skin disease's severity, according to recent research from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia.
The team — led by Joel M. Gelfand, a professor of dermatology and epidemiology — reports the findings in a paper that was published recently in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
"We know psoriasis is linked to higher rates of diabetes," Prof. Gelfand explains, "but this is the first study to specifically examine how the severity of the disease affects a patient's risk."
He and his team suggest that the findings support the idea that there is a biological connection between psoriasis and type 2 diabetes.
Psoriasis and diabetes
Psoriasis is a serious medical condition that affects around 7.5 million people in the United States. It develops from a fault in the immune system that disrupts the normal biology of the skin and joints.
About 80–90 percent of people with psoriasis have plaque psoriasis, an inflammatory condition in which the immune system sends faulty signals that make skin cells grow too fast.
As the cells reach the surface of the skin and die, they form lesions that appear as thick red patches covered with silvery scales. The patches typically develop on the elbows, palms, face, scalp, lower back, knees, and soles of the feet, but they can also affect the mouth, nails, genitals, and other places.
Around 40 percent of people with psoriasis have psoriatic arthritis, which is a form of the dise
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