People with psoriasis are said to have a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. This increase would be due to an inflammatory process.
People with psoriasis are more at risk of developing Parkinson’s disease than others, according to one study published in The Indian Journal of dermatology. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic (United States) and Mahidol University (Thailand) suggest that this increased risk is due to the chronic inflammation induced by the dermatological disease.
Globally, about 0.3% of adults over 40 have Parkinson’s disease. Psoriasis is a more common pathology. It affects between 2 and 4% of the world population. Several studies have demonstrated a link between this autoimmune skin disease and the appearance of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s. However, few studies have been able to quantify this risk. This is why this team looked into this question.
An unexplained link
To conduct their research, the scientists relied on 3 retrospective cohort studies and a case-control study selected from 200 scientific articles. According to their meta-analysis, adults with psoriasis are 38% more likely to have Parkinson’s than people without this autoimmune disease.
Researchers recognize that the link between these 2 pathologies is unexplained and uncertain. However, they cite a few possible explanations. Among these, they evoke the effect of obesity because this disorder is associated with an increased risk of psoriasis as well as Parkinson’s.
Brain inflammation
They also suggest that the chronic inflammation caused by psoriasis may increase the risk of developing neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s disease. Indeed, it has been observed that this inflammatory phenomenon causes neuronal damage, in particular by activating microglial cells. These brain cells are themselves responsible for an inflammatory process: a vicious circle is then set up and aggravates the brain inflammation.
In addition, research has shown that regular consumption of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and aspirin is associated with a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. This therefore reinforces the trail of inflammation.
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