What Causes Psoriasis
In the past decade, there have been many advances in our understanding of how psoriasis might develop and how it can be treated. The question remains: Why does it occur?
Psoriasis is a complex disease that is caused by several factors. Although there is no known single cause for psoriasis, it is clear that genetics, the skin cells (keratinocytes), environmental factors, and the immune system play central roles in causing this disease. Psoriasis has a strong genetic component, and there are multiple genes that likely need environmental triggers to activate psoriasis. There are many theories as to why psoriasis occurs in susceptible people, but no one has been able to pinpoint the exact cause. We now understand, however, that there are several key steps in the process, and that the immune system plays a critical role.
