Treating Psoriasis: The Pharmacogenomic Approach

Main Category: Eczema / Psoriasis
Also Included In: Genetics
Article Date: 18 Mar 2007 - 0:00 PDT

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This study published in the journal "Dermatology" shows that investigating individual gene characteristics of patients with psoriasis improves the possibilities of pharmacotherapy using pharmacogenomic approaches, which in future could be further stratified according to the subtypes of psoriasis.

A total of 293 patients with plaque psoriasis, 82 patients with psoriasis guttata and 202 control subjects were enrolled in this study. Investigations focused on 3 polymorphisms in retinoid X receptors RXRA and RXRB gene associations. The possible association of their variability with psoriasis was investigated.

A marginally significant increase in AA allelic frequency of the RXRA A39526AA polymorphism in plaque psoriatic men compared to healthy ones was proven. In women with psoriasis guttata, a higher risk for genotypes AA and TT in the RXRB 3'+140A/T polymorphism compared to healthy women was identified. The genotypes A/A and AA/AA were more frequent in plaque psoriasis patients with a positive family history of psoriasis compared to patients with a negative family history of psoriasis. The A/A genotype was more frequent in patients with plaque psoriasis and repeated tonsillitis/tonsillectomy. In the RXRB polymorphism, no genotype TT was observed in patients with psoriasis guttata with a positive personal history of repeated tonsillitis.

Accordingly, these two RXR polymorphisms seem to be susceptibility genes for psoriasis. This knowledge contributes to improving the results of psoriasis therapy using a pharmacogenomic approach.

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