Psoriasis is not Genetic! Atleast 98% is Lifestyle, maybe 2% genes!
Psoriasis, a condition that features redness, inflammation, and itchy scales, occurs mostly on the knees, scalp, feet, hands, and elbow. A study carried out in 2013 shows that over 7 million people were suffering from psoriasis.
Psoriasis is not genetic, but genetics play a major role in the development of psoriasis. The condition occurs when your blood’s immune cells attack newly produced skin cells, thinking they are harmful foreign invaders.
Due to this, there will be an increase in the production of skin cells below the external part of your skin. With time, these new cells get to the upper part of your skin, forcing out existing cells and causing itching, inflammation, and scales.
What Is the Link Between Genetics and Psoriasis?
The National Psoriasis Foundation, NPF, suggests that psoriasis is more pronounced in people between 15-35 years, but it may develop at any point in a person’s life. For instance, 20,000 children below ten years old have psoriasis yearly.
Anyone can be diagnosed with psoriasis, but you may be more exposed to the risk of having it if a member of your family has the disease. Although the link between genetics and psoriasis hasn’t been fully established, there have been some studies from trusted sources that show that there might be some connection between them.
Scientists have discovered that it might be a result of an immune system problem, which leads to the production of cytokines, an inflammatory molecule, by the immune cells.
A psoriatic skin contains alleles (HLA-Cw6), a kind of gene mutation that may be the reason for the passing of psoriasis through genes. However, recent studies have shown that there is a need for more research for a better understanding of the link between the HLA-Cw6 alleles and psoriasis.
More improved techniques have been used to identify 25 distinct parts of the human genome and its relationship with psoriasis. So, someone can understand their risk of having psoriasis through genetic studies but the relationship between the condition and the genes associated with it is not fully understood.
This is because psoriasis occurs as a result of the relationship between your skin and immune system, which makes it difficult for you to know its cause and effect. So, even when vital insights have been provided by the recent discoveries in genetic research, we still do not fully understand what causes the condition.
Can Psoriasis Be Treated with Gene Therapy?
Presently, gene therapy is not available for the treatment of psoriasis, but research is ongoing on the development of psoriasis due to genetic causes. Further research led to the discovery of an uncommon gene mutation, CARD14, associated with psoriasis.
When this gene mutation comes in contact with an infection or any environmental trigger, it produces plaque psoriasis, the most widely known form of psoriasis. Its discovery helped us to understand the connection between CARD14 and psoriasis.
This discovery and many other recent discoveries have given hope that gene therapy might help people with this condition even though there’s a need for further research to better understand how it can be inherited.