A new genetic study has identified six previously unreported loci associated with psoriasis, emphasizing its genetic complexity and links to socioeconomic and mental health factors.
The analysis included data from 925,649 individuals across the FinnGen, Estonian Biobank, and UK Biobank, making it the largest genome-wide study of psoriasis to date. Authors said the findings showed genetic correlations between psoriasis and factors such as obesity, smoking, and lower education levels, and established bidirectional causal relationships between psoriasis and education levels and a unidirectional influence of psoriasis on mood symptoms.
The identified loci included genes linked to the immune system and critical psoriasis inflammatory pathways (such as RNF216, IL4R, and SLC39A10 responsible for regulating processes like keratinocyte proliferation, immune responses, and cytokine signaling. The researchers also emphasized the role of socioeconomic factors, with lower education levels in potentially exacerbating psoriasis severity through stress and unhealthy behaviors.
"The results of the genetic correlations provided genetic evidence for the close link between psoriasis and socioeconomic status," the authors concluded in the study. "With Mendelian randomization, we found evidence of causal relationships between obesity and psoriasis and between psoriasis and mood symptoms and complex causal relationships between psoriasis and low education level. Our findings deepen the understanding of psoriasis and may be useful in treatment development."
Source: Heikkilä A, et al. J Invest Dermatol. 2024;144(12):2719-2729. Doi:10.1016/j.jid.2024.03.043