Chicago, June 17: Stress from worrying slows the healing process in psoriasis patients undergoing ultraviolet light therapy, providing further evidence of a psychological role in the skin disorder, British researchers said on Monday.
Psoriasis, which affects more than 2 per cent of the world`s population and often runs in families, is usually characterised by outbreaks of inflamed, reddened patches of skin that can cause discomfort and embarrassing disfigurement.


While the disease`s origins are unknown, the chronic condition is caused by new skin cells being produced 10 times faster than dying cells are shed. Some forms of the illness can cause pustules or stiff joints similar to arthritis.


Of 112 patients in the study undergoing treatments with ultraviolet light, called psoralen-UV-A photochemotherapy, those classified as "worriers" were slower to heal.



Worrying was the sole factor to affect the treatment`s effectiveness, which normally averages around three months, said the study, which appeared in the Archives of Dermatology, a journal published by the American Medical Association.


"These findings provide further evidence of the existence of a brain-skin axis," wrote study author Christopher Griffiths of Hope Hospital in Manchester, England. "Focus on this fascinating area is needed to identify potential mechanisms and to encompass a holistic approach to the treatment of chronic inflammatory skin disease."



Previous studies found patients who listened to stress reduction tapes while undergoing treatment healed faster.


An editorial in the journal commenting on a separate psoriasis drug study described how devastating the disfiguring disease can be for sufferers, which can include children.

"Psoriasis is a life-disabling disorder in which 8 percent to 10 percent of patients aged 18 to 54 years actively contemplate suicide because of their disease," wrote Alice Gottlieb of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey.


While several drug treatments are available, they can have toxic effects that limit their usefulness, she wrote. Bureau Report