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Psoriasis genetic link uncovered
05 Apr 2008
Scientists have identified seven new variations in DNA that appear to increase some people's risk of psoriasis, in a development that could help to treat the skin condition.
The study, published in the journal Public Library of Science Genetics, used an approach called genome association to look at 300,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).
SNPs help to build variation into a genome and make a person unique, so play a huge role in increasing a person's risk of a certain disease or condition.
Researchers compared the DNA variations in people with psoriasis to those found in 519 healthy patients, looking for specific differences that may be linked to the disease.
They then replicated their findings in a larger set of patients, including 577 with psoriasis and 576 with psoriatic arthritis, as well as more than 1,200 healthy people.
Researchers believe that the DNA variations they came across could reveal the different causes of psoriasis and lead to new targeted drugs and treatments.
"Our research shows that small but common DNA differences are important in the development of psoriasis," lead investigator Anne Bowcock said.
"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."
Psoriasis, an autoimmune disease whereby the body's immune cells mistakenly attack the skin, is characterised by the appearance of red scaly patches that are often itchy and painful.
Click here to learn more about psoriasis
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