Scientists may have uncovered the root cause of psoriasis, a chronic and sometimes debilitating skin disease that affects 2–3% of the global population. The condition is characterized by red, scaly patches that impact the quality of a patient's life and can sometimes be life-threatening. New research strongly suggests the hormone hepcidin may trigger the onset of the condition.
This marks the first time hepcidin has been considered a potential causal factor. In mammals, hepcidin is responsible for regulating iron levels in the body. The study is published in the journal Nature Communications .
The international research team behind this discovery—which includes Dr. Charareh Pourzand from the Department of Life Sciences, the Centre for Therapeutic Innovation and the Centre for Bioengineering and Biomedical Technologies at the University of Bath—hopes their finding will lead to the development of new drugs able to block the action of the hormone. Those most likely to benefit from such a treatment are patients with pustular psoriasis (PP)—a particularly severe and treatment-resistant form of the disease that can affect a patient's nails and joints as well as skin.
Dr. Pourzand, who studies ways to mitigate iron imbalances in the skin, said, "Psoriasis is a life-changing dermatological disease. Patients face a potentially disfiguring and lifelong affliction that profoundly affects their lives, causing them both physical discomfort and emotional distress.
The condition can.
