Are Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Related?
Researchers have found 7 common DNA variations that raise the risk of an individual?s developing psoriasis. One of the variations links the skin condition and psoriatic arthritis to other autoimmune disorders. Up to 30% of individuals with psoriasis may also develop psoriatic arthritis. For the study, the researchers looked at common variations in the DNA genome called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). They scanned >300,000 SNPs in the genomes of 223 patients with psoriasis, including 91 patients who had psoriatic arthritis, and compared them with those found in 519 healthy control patients. The findings, reported in the April 4, 2008, issue of PLoS Genetics, showed that several of the DNA variations found on chromosome 4 were strongly associated with psoriatic arthritis. These same variations also were associated with psoriasis and had been linked to type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Graves disease, and celiac disease.
