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Implications of psoriasis as a new disease
1School of Medicine and Brain and Perception Laboratory, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0606, USA. elaltsch@sdcc3.ucsd.edu
Dermatology (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 18, 1999
Summary
Psoriasis may be a new disease in the Old World, first described after explorers returned from the New World. This suggests any infectious cofactors in psoriasis development must also be new to the Old World.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Medical History
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition.
- Historical records suggest psoriasis was not documented in the Old World before the Age of Exploration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the historical origins of psoriasis.
- To propose implications for the etiology of psoriasis based on its historical emergence.
Main Methods:
- Historical literature review.
- Analysis of medical descriptions predating and post-dating the Columbian Exchange.
Main Results:
- Psoriasis descriptions appear in Old World medical literature only after the 15th-century voyages to the New World.
- This temporal association suggests a potential link between New World origins and psoriasis.
Conclusions:
- Psoriasis may represent a disease newly introduced to the Old World.
- Candidate infectious cofactors implicated in psoriasis pathogenesis should be evaluated for their emergence post-exploration.