Psoriasis

The disease events of psoriasis are extremely complex, and to date the causes are not precisely known. The connections, however, are constantly being clarified further.
At any rate, psoriasis is hereditary, i.e. it has a genetic cause. The risk of getting psoriasis is increased if a blood relative has psoriasis. However, it is not the illness itself which is inherited, but only the disposition to develop psoriatic skin changes under certain circumstances. Some of the genes responsible have since been identified by means of scientific investigations.

Many people never get psoriasis although cases of this skin disease are known in the family. However, it is possible to suddenly get the disease at some stage in your life, under the influence of an initiating factor. These initiating, triggering or provoking factors include such things as infectious diseases with streptococci, stress, injuries, scalding, insect bites, allergies, skin-irritating cosmetics and certain drugs such as beta blockers, ACE blockers, anti-malarials, and many more.

It is now known that certain enzymes and messenger substances of the immune system participate in the disease events and it is also assumed that the immune system has a decisive causal importance. With certain triggers (see above), the body's own defence overreacts in psoriasis patients and triggers erroneous signals. One consequence of this is that the cells in the topmost skin layer, the epidermis, divide more rapidly and form the typical deposits of scaly skin.