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Leprosy and the natural selection for psoriasis.

Ioannis D Bassukas1, Georgios Gaitanis, Max Hundeiker

  • 1Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases, University of Ioannina Medical School, Ioannina, Greece. ibassuka@cc.uoi.gr

Medical Hypotheses
|November 15, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Psoriasis prevalence may be linked to an evolutionary advantage in resisting leprosy. This hypothesis suggests that certain psoriasis-associated genes provided protection against leprosy, favoring their expansion in European ancestors.

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