Psoriasis - Can It Protect Against Schizophrenia?

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory dermatitis, which usually manifests on the skin of a person in a form of red lesions of various sizes covered with silvery scales.

2-3% of the world population has psoriasis, which may develop at any age - from infancy to elderly years.

For most psoriasis sufferer's psoriasis is a very cosmetically disturbing skin disorder. For a small amount of people psoriasis may also bring severe pain in the form of a psoriatic arthritis. Psoriasis may also implicate nails, and in the rarest cases - even the mucous membranes.

Unlikely as it may seem, psoriasis may be of a certain benefit to a human.

Certain deviations that are found in the blood serum of the people with psoriasis precede the actual psoriasis manifestations. These deviations distinguish the people with psoriasis from the people without psoriasis.

One of the most notable deviations is a very high level of the uric acid in the blood serum of the people with psoriasis, which is present even if there is no skin, joint or nail psoriasis manifestations.

Uric acid was first discovered in the urine, and thus it has received its name. However, uric acid is also found in the blood, sweat and the brain of any human being. About 5-8% of the Earth population has a higher level of uric acid in their body.

So what benefits does a person with the elevated levels of the uric acid possess compared to a person with the normal or lowered levels of uric acid?

Studies performed on the people with gout - a condition when the high levels of uric acid turn into crystals and bring on the pains in the joints - have revealed that the people with the high levels of uric acid are almost 100% protected from various degenerative disorders of the Central Nervous System (CNS), such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease and Schizophrenia.

Multiple Sclerosis is a degenerative autoimmune disorder when the CNS is attacked by the immune system of the body, leading to the disruption of the electrical signals originating from the brain and traveling to other parts of the body. This eventually leads to a loss of the ability to speak, write and walk.

Parkinson's disease is another degenerative autoimmune disorder characterized by impaired speech skills, rapid tremors and difficulties with walking, movement, and coordination. People with the Parkinson's disease may also have drooling and an infrequent blinking. In 15-20% of the cases there will also be dementia.

Alzheimer's disease is the disorder of the Central Nervous System predominantly characterized by a memory loss and a general loss of intellectual ability. Other symptoms include personality changes, speech impairment, disorientation and apathy.

Schizophrenia is yet another degenerative Central Nervous System disorder, characterized by the appearance of hearing and visual hallucinations, paranoia and other deviations in the perception of the external world. Schizophrenia affects the speaking and the thinking abilities as well as the emotional state of the sufferer.

Well, it turns out that the people with psoriasis, as well as the people with gout (based on various studies) are very lucky to be protected from these debilitating CNS disorders by the high levels of the uric acid in their blood.