PSORIASIS CAUSES

The cause of psoriasis is not fully established. However, several factors are known to be involved including genetics, stress and trauma.

Psoriasis is hereditary. About 30 percent of people with psoriasis have first degree relatives with the disease. A child has a 16 percent of developing psoriasis if one parent has the condition and a 50 percent chance if both parents have it.

However, studies on sets of identical twins show that it is possible for only one twin to develop psoriasis, indicating that environmental factors also play an important role in precipitating an attack of psoriaisis. These include:

An autoimmune reaction can also bring on an attack of psoriasis in genetically predisposed individuals. This means that antibodies, substances produced by the body to fight disease, mistake parts of the skin for foreign material and attack them, causing psoriasis.