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-psoriasis

Michalek, 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.13854

Armstrong, 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/2766169

Zhou, 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/S0003496724012342

Gorman 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/full

Rendon, A., & Schäkel, K. (2019). Psoriasis pathogenesis and treatment. International journal of molecular sciences, 20(6), 1475. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/20/6/1475