Genetics of psoriasis: immunity, skin barrier function and GWAS. External signs of the disease

The disease is one of the most mysterious diseases. In this case, spots in the form of scales appear on the skin, which form growths. Scales mostly have White color. They can be localized everywhere, even on . The disease begins before the age of 30 and can often cause psychological problems up to social isolation.

Further complicates psychological condition the patient's appearance of rashes on the face. Here they also look like scales and at the same time they itch very much.

Psoriasis affects not only the skin, but also the spine, joints, tendons, immune and endocrine system. Doctors also distinguish psoriatic damage to the kidneys, liver, and even thyroid gland. The onset of the disease is signaled by chronic weakness, constant fatigue, depression.

As already noted, the main cause of psoriasis today remains unidentified. Attention is drawn to the genetic predisposition to this disease, which seems the most likely.

Physicians identify the following causes of psoriasis:

1. The psychological causes of psoriasis, they are also neuro-emotional. It is noticed that after strong nervous shocks, the likelihood of psoriasis increases significantly.
2. According to some doctors, psoriasis can develop as a result of infectious diseases. Among them are influenza, scarlet fever, etc. This group of causes includes herpetic infection and fungal infections of the skin.
3. Psychosomatic causes of psoriasis associated with the state of immunity. Autoimmune genesis is also discussed. Today, this is one of the theories that has a large number of supporters. As a result of malfunctions in the activity of immunity and selective damage to body cells (protective cells immune system attack the skin cell) psoriasis occurs. In this case, the upper layer of the skin is destroyed, and the cycle of cell division is accelerated significantly.
4. Mechanical lesions of the skin - permanent injuries, bites, etc., contribute a lot to the occurrence of this disease.

Causes of psoriasis

Among the favorable factors appearance of psoriasis allocate the following:

• Excessively thin skin. It is more conducive to the appearance of psoriatic plaques;
• Constant contact with chemical reagents, and especially with alcohol solutions of chemically aggressive substances;
• Passion for antibacterial soap: it contributes to the destruction of the natural protective barrier of the skin;
• Abuse of alcohol and smoking;
• Excessive consumption of spicy and spicy foods, as well as chocolate;
• Sudden change in climate zone.

Causes and treatment of psoriasis

Now that the alleged ones are known, you need to start treatment and support the body in every possible way.

To support the body, you need to cleanse it of toxins. They are found in large quantities in the stomach and intestines, and it is these organs that are most in need of cleansing. A drug like this will help us with this. In addition, you need to cleanse the blood, kidneys.

The use of cleansing supplements helps to cleanse the body and reduce the manifestations of psoriasis. Polyunsaturated will also be useful fatty acid, which regulate the activity of blood vessels, improve the nutrition of skin cells.

Purpose systemic drugs also gives good results and can slow down the progression of the disease. Immunosuppressants have also been successfully used for this purpose.

Treatment of psoriasis should be comprehensive, so pay attention to other methods: various ointments and creams, as well as special diets and an appropriate lifestyle.

Disease psoriasis and genetics

Because the causes of psoriasis are numerous enough that no specialist can identify the true origin of the disease. This mysterious ailment quite often has several initial factors.

Genetics of psoriasis begins with the proband (initial individual): the brighter and more pronounced the degree of symptoms in him, the higher the likelihood of the disease in the offspring. Studies of molecular genetics have revealed a number of chromosomes and genes that have a predisposition to psoriasis and are transmitted to relatives.

And yet it is still impossible to obtain accurate data that determine the causes of the disease. The genetics of psoriasis directly depends on the degree of kinship with the proband.

Psoriasis and psychosomatics

The state of the immune system controls psychosomatic causes of psoriasis. Thus, the failure of the protective function allows the disease to progress steadily. Selective damage to the cells of the layers of the skin, at times accelerates cell division.

Psychosomatics of psoriasis, as a rule, is caused by the dissatisfaction of the person himself. Moreover, this dissatisfaction can be expressed in any form.

Symptoms of the manifestation of psoriasis build a barrier between the sick and others. Being ashamed of his shortcomings, a person is in constant fear and anxiety, thereby further aggravating the disease. Experts say that due to low self-esteem, the psychosomatics of the disease worsens and psoriasis progresses.

Playlist of videos about psoriasis (video selection in the upper right corner)

genetic features

Psoriasis and heredity are two interrelated concepts, although the exact cause of the corresponding disease has not been established. It is known that in psoriasis the process of cornification of keratinocytes is disturbed. There is a local inflammation of the epidermis.

Psoriasis is not contagious. It is not transmitted by physical contact, and the cause of progression is in the features of the functioning of each organism. There is a metabolic disorder, autoimmune dysfunction.

If he finds himself in an environment where adverse circumstances affect him, then the chance of disease progression increases dramatically. On the other hand, the absence of such conditions does not guarantee the elimination of acquired pathology.

According to statistics, if one of the parents suffers from psoriasis, then the chance of transmitting the pathology to descendants is 14-18%. When mother and father are affected by the corresponding disease, the probability that children will develop psoriasis in the future is 50-70%.

mother and child

Psoriasis is a non-congenital disease. It occurs already against the background of the development of the baby, his interaction with environmental factors. 15-20% of transmission of the disease occurs through the maternal line.

It is difficult to prevent such a development of events. Doctors teach expectant parents how to behave when an illness occurs. Whether it can be avoided or not is determined. individual characteristics every organism.

father and child

Psoriasis is a multifactorial disease that is encoded by a specific gene sequence. It can be inherited from the father. After conception, the embryo receives 50% of the genetic material of both parents.

When defective loci are transferred as part of the genome, then the chance of developing pathology increases. The risk of inheriting the disease after the father is 12-18%.

No one can determine exactly which genes a child will receive. After birth, it is important to monitor the condition of the baby's skin. The appearance of the first characteristic symptoms indicates the possible transmission of defective genes.

Psoriasis genetic disease in classical understanding this term is not. Its development is additionally controlled by environmental factors. Typical hereditary pathologies progress regardless of environmental conditions.

Aggravating factors

The disease requires additional exposure to provoking agents. They stimulate local inflammation, violation of maturation, keratinization, rejection of keratinocytes.

Factors stimulating hereditary disease:

• weakening of the immune defense;
• contact with chemicals;
• unfavorable ecological situation;
• transferred infections;
• bad habits . This factor is typical for children of adolescence and adolescence;
• congenital dry skin.

Against the background of these nuances, the risk of rapid progression of the corresponding pathology increases. To minimize its occurrence, it is necessary to exclude their influence.

It is simply impossible to isolate a child after birth from all factors. Parents should constantly monitor the condition of the baby's skin to detect the presence of pathology.

Psoriasis is a genetic disease, the progression of which depends on different circumstances. The mechanisms of transmission of pathology by inheritance are still being studied.

Since a universal mechanism for the inheritance of the disease has not been established, so far the best option for correcting the condition of children with psoriasis from birth is a full-fledged therapy carried out on time.

Psoriasis is a very common skin disease, affecting more than 100 million people worldwide. Of every 100 inhabitants of the Earth, about five suffer from psoriasis.

This disease can strike at any age and last for many years. Nevertheless, if you follow the doctor's recommendations, almost every patient can achieve results. Effective treatment allows and with psoriasis to live a completely normal life.

When does psoriasis start?

It is difficult to fix exactly when the disease began. Usually the patient goes to the doctor if he already has grounds for complaints. However, in 75% of cases, psoriasis affects people during puberty - the time of puberty. According to the assumption of German experts, psoriasis is divided into two types: the first appears at the age of about 20 years and is somewhat more severe, the second occurs at about 50 years. There is a possibility that psoriasis will begin in youth if one of the relatives has already been diagnosed with it. But, unlike other hereditary diseases, the nature of the transmission of psoriasis from generation to generation is not obvious, therefore it is impossible to predict with certainty whether one of the family members will get sick and who exactly.

So you can become a victim of psoriasis at any time, from infancy to old age.

Genetic predisposition to psoriasis

In the development of this disease, hereditary factors play a significant role - this is indicated by the fact that it is more common in people whose relatives already suffer from psoriasis. The risk of developing psoriasis in a child whose parents are healthy is 12%. When psoriasis is diagnosed in a father or mother, the probability increases - it is already 10-20%. If both parents are sick, the risk for the child will be as much as 50%.

Now scientists believe that the inheritance of psoriasis is multifactorial, that is, several different genes are responsible for the predisposition to this disease at once, and in order for it to develop, several different external or internal factors. Let's consider which ones.

Causes of the onset or exacerbation of psoriasis

According to the latest scientific medical research, psoriasis is caused not by any single cause, but by a whole complex of factors that are in complex interaction. Most often, it is impossible to establish the exact cause of psoriatic rashes. For example, those who have a genetic predisposition to psoriasis may not experience any of its manifestations for many years, although, on the other hand, it is well known what exactly provokes the appearance of psoriasis symptoms in them.

Such provoking effects are skin injuries (the so-called Koebner phenomenon) - ordinary scratches and cuts or surgical incisions, all kinds of abrasions (including in places where clothing simply presses or rubs), injections, solar, thermal or chemical burns. The mechanism of this is not yet fully understood, but this kind of reaction accompanies some other skin diseases.

The connection between psoriasis and the sun deserves a special discussion. The sun affects the course of the disease ambiguously. In moderation, its effect is favorable - patients living in cold climatic zones, just tanning, and even more so - going on vacation to the south, record a significant improvement in their condition. But it's important to be careful: sunburn, on the contrary, it can cause a negative effect - in 5-10% of those suffering from psoriasis, sunbathing provokes an exacerbation.

Other dermatological diseases have a very noticeable effect on the course of psoriasis. For example, if a person predisposed to psoriasis has a fungal infection in the skin folds, psoriatic plaques can also form in these areas (interdigital, axillary, inguinal folds, navel area).

Often, the onset of psoriasis is laid by concomitant streptococcal infections - tonsillitis, chronic tonsillitis, infections of the upper respiratory tract, as well as vaccinations (primarily for children). If the patient already suffers from psoriasis, streptococcal infections of the upper respiratory tract can cause an exacerbation.

The greatest danger of concomitant infections for a patient with psoriasis is HIV. With developing AIDS, psoriasis is especially difficult: rashes can cover almost the entire skin (this condition is called psoriatic erythroderma).

The worsening of the course of the disease is also caused by alcohol, especially strong drinks, beer, champagne. Alcohol abuse, as a rule, leads to the fact that psoriasis becomes practically insensitive to prescribed drugs and procedures.

Finally, psoriasis partly confirms the old formula "all diseases are from the nerves" - its appearance can provoke excessive stress on nervous system and stress. The mechanism of this causal relationship is not entirely clear, and in addition, some patients note, on the contrary, the beneficial effect of stress on their condition.

What processes occur in the skin with psoriasis

As we already know, in the skin of a person genetically predisposed to psoriasis, under the influence of certain external or internal factors, pathological changes resulting in the formation of psoriatic plaques. As a rule, their borders are clear, the color is red-pink, the surface is covered with scales. These clinical manifestations- a consequence of a violation of the reproduction and maturation of skin cells, inflammation and changes in the blood vessels of the skin.

The pathogenesis (mechanism of development) of psoriasis in its primary links at the cellular level has not been studied. But it is reliably known: in the superficial layers of the skin, cell division is accelerated. If healthy skin cells live 30-40 days - from the moment of appearance to death and exfoliation, then with psoriasis this process is 6 times faster. Such active reproduction of cells leads to a thickening of the skin, in particular, its prickly layer. These pink-red areas of thickened skin are called psoriatic papules, when the papules coalesce, psoriatic plaques. But, although cells multiply rapidly, they do not have time to mature, to fully go through all the stages of their development. Because of this, the granular layer of the skin practically disappears, and the processes of keratinization of epidermal cells are disturbed. The result of this is that the stratum corneum thickens significantly, which explains the appearance of numerous scales on the surface of the psoriatic plaque.

In the following sections you can learn about psoriasis (how the disease manifests itself), the disease and the use of the drug.

Psoriasis is chronic illness skin, which can occur for many reasons. To date, the etiology of the disease has not been precisely established. But at the same time, heredity in this case plays an important role.

Indeed, despite the fact that, and does not pose any danger to others, the disease can be inherited.

But in order to study the theory of heredity in more detail, it is necessary to consider psoriasis as complex disease with all the contributing factors.

In contact with

Heredity

If at least one of the parents is diagnosed with psoriasis, then the question immediately arises: is the disease inherited? Considering all the studies carried out, experts have come to the conclusion that psoriasis is transmitted with genes at the cellular level, even at the time of conception.

But this does not mean at all that the child will be born with skin problems, or that they will ever arise. After all, a genetic predisposition means only the possible likelihood of psoriasis in a child. That is, a newborn baby can be born with perfectly healthy skin, and never get sick. skin diseases.

But at the same time, there is a large percentage of the fact that when any adverse conditions occur, psoriasis will manifest itself in a child. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the disease in a complex manner.
The likelihood that psoriasis will manifest itself in a child when one of his parents is sick is rather small. But in the case of skin diseases in the mother and father, this percentage increases to 50%.

Moreover, it is worth noting that when psoriasis occurs in a child, this does not mean at all that the disease was transmitted to him from his father or mother. In some cases, close relatives may also suffer from a similar disease.

Therefore, we can say with confidence that such changes at the gene level are inherited and create a predisposition to psoriasis.

It's important to know: the child may develop the disease even if his parents do not suffer from skin diseases. In such cases, most often psoriatic disease can be observed in close relatives.

The main provoking factors of psoriasis

To date, there is no exact cause of psoriatic rash. But at the same time, there are a number of irritating factors that can act as provocateurs of the disease.

These include:

• frequent stress and;
• disturbed metabolism;
• injuries and cuts;
• intoxication of the body;
• strong exposure to sunlight (on the positive properties and contraindications of tanning in psoriasis, read);
• weak immunity.

Good to know: proper nutrition, timely sleep and avoidance of stressful situations make it possible to prolong periods of remission.

Therefore, it can be said that if a child in the family had relatives with a papular rash, with a decrease in immunity or the occurrence of other disorders in the body, the disease may manifest itself.

Knowing that the child has a genetic predisposition to psoriasis, parents can follow the basic rules healthy lifestyle life.

Thus, they will not only reduce the risk of occurrence (plaque rash), but also prevent the appearance of other diseases in the body.

First of all, parents need to take care of proper nutrition child. For this, a special hypoallergenic diet is best suited. She excludes spicy, fatty and salty foods from the diet.

Also, people prone to psoriasis need to drink sedatives, which makes it possible to avoid the appearance skin rash and increase periods of remission.

See video about the causes of psoriasis: