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New Genetic Basis For Psoriasis Found
The study, led by Anne Bowcock, Ph.D., professor of genetics at the School of Medicine, also cited that variations in one genetic region link psoriasis and a related joint disorder, psoriatic arthritis, to four autoimmune diseases: type 1 diabetes, Grave's disease, celiac disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
"Common diseases like psoriasis are incredibly complex at the genetic level. Our research shows that small but common DNA differences are important in the development of psoriasis. Although each variation makes only a small contribution to the disease, patients usually have a number of different genetic variations that increases their risk of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis," said Bowcock.
She said that these DNA variations indicate different biological pathways leading to psoriasis and may even help in developing new-targeted drugs and treatments aiming at specific pathways.
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body's immune cells mistakenly attack the skin and is characterized by red, scaly patches that can be itchy, painful or both. Many psoriatic patients develop psoriatic arthritis, a condition that is often unbearably painful and debilitating.
In the study, the researchers mainly focused on points of common variation in the genome called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, a number of them exclusive to an individual and have a crucial role in a person's predisposition to disease or good health. They used an approach called whole genome association for scanning over 300,000 SNPs in the genomes of 223 psoriasis patients, including 91 having psoriatic arthritis.
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 | Quiz on Psoriasis Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin disease occurring in almost all parts of the body and affecting people of all ages. 
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