Health

New discovery on how psoriasis spreads may lead to more effective treatments

By Mallika Marshall, MD

June 5, 2023 / 6:07 PM EDT / CBS Boston

BOSTON – A new discovery about how psoriasis spreads may lead to more effective treatments.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that causes inflamed, itchy, scaly, and thickened areas of the skin called plaques.

Flare-ups can be uncomfortable and difficult to treat and in some cases people develop other related health conditions such as arthritis.

Little is known about how or why psoriasis "spreads" to other parts of the body but researchers at NYU Langone Health found that even healthy skin, far removed from affected skin, exhibits significant genetic and cellular changes that may help explain why the skin disease worsens or leads to other health problems.

This discovery may allow scientists to develop new treatments and interventions.

Boston

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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