A new study suggests psoriasis tends to improve during pregnancy and the relief is linked to an increase in estrogen levels.
"The number of patients with psoriasis who improve in pregnancy is double the number of patients who worsen in pregnancy," Jenny E. Murase, MD, and colleagues write in the May issue of Archives of Dermatology.
The researchers say hormonal changes during pregnancy may play a role in improving psoriasis.
"It was previously suggested that progesterone was most likely responsible for this improvement," they write. "However, our findings indicate that increased estrogen levels, and especially increased levels of estrogen relative to progesterone, correlate with psoriatic improvement."
The researchers compared changes in psoriasis in a group of 47 pregnant women and 27 nonpregnant women of childbearing age. After receiving instructions, the women measured the area of their psoriasis, marked areas of psoriasis on a diagram, and rated the severity of their psoriasis five times over the course of a year.
Source
"The number of patients with psoriasis who improve in pregnancy is double the number of patients who worsen in pregnancy," Jenny E. Murase, MD, and colleagues write in the May issue of Archives of Dermatology.
The researchers say hormonal changes during pregnancy may play a role in improving psoriasis.
"It was previously suggested that progesterone was most likely responsible for this improvement," they write. "However, our findings indicate that increased estrogen levels, and especially increased levels of estrogen relative to progesterone, correlate with psoriatic improvement."
The researchers compared changes in psoriasis in a group of 47 pregnant women and 27 nonpregnant women of childbearing age. After receiving instructions, the women measured the area of their psoriasis, marked areas of psoriasis on a diagram, and rated the severity of their psoriasis five times over the course of a year.
Source