Studies show that genes may play a crucial role in helping to predict if a person will develop psoriasis in their lifetime.
Typically, these conditions develop over the course of a person's life due to their genetic predisposition to developing the disorder combined with environmental triggers.
Researchers are beginning to better understand the link between genes, environmental factors, and a person developing psoriasis.
Contents of this article:
- What is psoriasis?
- What role does genetics play?
- What genes are involved?
- To what extent does 'luck' play a role?
- Takeaway
Fast facts on psoriasis and genetics:
- Many skin diseases are passed down from one generation to another.
- Researchers are currently studying the role that genes play in psoriasis.
- Psoriasis is a persistent skin condition in which the body generates new skin cells much faster than their normal.
- The increased growth rate causes many skin cells to push to the surface and die.
What is psoriasis?
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| Patches of psoriasis that are raised, red, and scaly, may be painful. |
In affected areas, psoriasis presents as raised, red, and scaly patches. These patches may be painful and itchy.
Patches of psoriasis occur around the knees, scalp, and elbows. The patches may also appear on the torso, soles of the feet, and on the hands. In some cases, when psoriasis occurs around the joints, a person may develop psoriatic arthritis.
There are many different forms of psoriasis, and each type may be mild, moderate, or severe.
Psoriasis is a chronic condition, which means that a person may experience flare-ups where the symptoms increase, followed by periods of remission where the symptoms lessen or completely disappear for a time.
What role does genetics play?
Researchers are looking to see what genes are responsible for making a person more likely to develop psoriasis. Researchers have found that there is a connection between genes and the activation of the immune system that causes psoriasis.
The process of determining what genes affect psoriasis is a difficult task.
First, researchers need to identify a gene with a link to psoriasis. Once that gene is determined, they need to figure out how the gene functions in normal use.
Finally, they need to determine how the gene is acting differently in a person with psoriasis.
What researchers have been able to determine over the course of numerous studies is that genes play a role in making a person more susceptible to developing psoriasis.
There are about 25 genes discovered so far that have been linked to making a person more likely to develop psoriasis in their lifetime.