Hepatitis C could increase risk of psoriasis.

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This study looked at the relationship between psoriasis and hepatitis C.

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Background:
Multiple studies have noted an association between hepatitis C and psoriasis, but it is not known whether psoriasis is a result of treatment modalities for hepatitis C or a result of hepatitis C alone.

Objective:
To examine the relationship between psoriasis and hepatitis C by measuring the expression of cathelicidin, TLR9 and IFNγ in psoriatic lesional and non-lesional skin in HCV-positive and negative psoriatic patients.

Methods:
Two 2 mm punch biopsies of lesional and non-lesional skin in 10 patients who were HCV-negative psoriatics and seven HCV-positive psoriatics were used to measure cathelicidin, TLR9 and IFNγ mRNA expression by quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

Results:
The mRNA levels of cathelicidin, TLR9 and IFNγ were significantly higher in both non-lesional and lesional skin of HCV-positive patients with psoriasis as compared to HCV-negative psoriatic patients. Additionally, the IFNγ level in lesional skin of HCV-positive psoriatic patients was higher than the IFNγ level seen in non-lesional skin of those same patients.

Conclusion:
These findings suggest that HCV infection upregulates these inflammatory cytokines, possibly increasing susceptibility to developing psoriasis.

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com

*Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
Funding: National Psoriasis Foundation fellowship grant