In the first known study to examine the prevalence and treatment of psoriasis in older Americans, experts have found that black patients receiving Medicare are less likely to receive biologic therapies -medications derived from human or animal cells or tissues -- for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis than white patients.
Scientists have developed a new, more complex type of genetic circuit, which has enabled them to successfully treat psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin condition, in the mouse model.
Age plays a huge role when it comes to patients’ access to psoriasis treatment, research shows. Researchers who have examined if patients of varying ages have the same access to the most efficient psoriasis treatment, found that an age increase of 30 years resulted in an average 65 per cent reduction in likelihood of obtaining treatment with biologics.
Increasing the level of a naturally-produced protein, called tristetraprolin (TTP), significantly reduced or protected mice from inflammation, according to researchers. The results suggest that pharmaceutical compounds or other therapeutic methods that produce elevated levels of TTP in humans may offer an effective treatment for some inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and multiple sclerosis.
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease marked by painful abscesses that develop in areas where there are large numbers of sweat glands. The disease has been associated with cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking and obesity, but the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with HS is unknown.
While pregnant women with chronic skin conditions may fear that treating these conditions could compromise their baby’s health, a board-certified dermatologist can develop safe and effective treatment plans for these patients.
For the first time, researchers have linked psoriasis to the risk of widespread bone loss and describe how the protein IL-17 acts as a 'messenger' between the skin and the bones. IL-17 inhibitors, some of which already on the market, could simultaneously address skin inflammation and associated bone loss. These results recommend monitoring the bone mass of patients with psoriasis to select the most appropriate treatment. The study has potential implications in other autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease.
Psoriasis is a long-lasting autoimmune disease that is characterized by patches of abnormal and inflamed skin. It is generally thought to have a genetic origin, which can be further triggered by environmental factors. People with specific mutations in the CARD14 gene have a high probability of developing psoriasis. A research team now reveals the molecular signaling mechanism by which mutations in CARD14 lead to increased inflammation in patients with psoriasis.
About half of Medicare patients who start taking biologic therapies for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis stop within a year, according to a new study. Previous studies have found similar results among the privately insured in the United States. The new study is the first to explore this issue among the elderly and disabled who are covered under Medicare. Lack of data in this population has been a major research gap, given that such patients are often underrepresented in clinical trials.
The chronic inflammatory skin disease psoriasis was associated with type 2 diabetes, body mass index and obesity in a study of Danish twins, and the study also suggests the possibility of a common genetic cause between psoriasis and obesity.
Despite regular washing and contact with bacteria-laden objects, our personal milieu of skin microbes remains highly stable over time, reports a metagenomics study. The authors say this knowledge could be applied to better understand a wide range of human skin disorders through the development of prebiotic, probiotic, and microbial transplantation approaches.
Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition that affects some 125 million people worldwide. It is characterized by itchy, scaly skin plaques. The exact cause of psoriasis is unclear. But mounting evidence implicates the immune system in the overproduction of cell-signalling molecules called cytokines, which stimulate skin cells called keratinocytes to express genes that maintain an inflammatory microenvironment. Now, scientists have found more evidence that a cytokine called IL-17A is especially critical in this process.
"A pathological and very complex autoimmune reaction of the skin": This is the definition doctors and scientists use to describe psoriasis, a disease that affects one to three percent of the population. It is characterized by accelerated cell division in the upper dermal layers with proliferated skin cells and an inflammation of the skin beneath. Many different cells are involved in the complex processes: skin cells (keratinocytes) and cells of the immune system, among others T lymphocytes, macrophages, mast cells and others.
About 80 percent of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis saw their disease completely or almost completely cleared with a new drug called ixekizumab, according to three large, long-term clinical trials.
People with psoriasis have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Treating psoriasis may help improve cardiovascular symptoms by reducing skin inflammation, which in turn leads to less inflammation elsewhere in the body, say researchers.
Although the efficacy and safety of biologic and phototherapeutic treatments in treating moderate-to-severe psoriasis are well known, not all patients respond well to monotherapy and may require a combination of both types of therapy. There have been few studies investigating the safety and efficacy of combination treatment; now, a review shows that combination treatment is safe and viable.
A new national survey in the United States of nearly 600 individuals with psoriasis, reveals that although patients have numerous treatment options, they have difficulty finding treatment plans that work. In addition, respondents reported a heavy emotional toll, with many feeling isolated and stigmatized due to the condition.
We all know that a brush with poison ivy leaves us with an itchy painful rash. Now researchers have discovered the molecular cause of this irritation. The finding brings us a step closer to designing agents to block this mechanism and sheds light on other serious skin conditions, such as psoriasis.
