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Unseen risk: lifestyle, physical problems may underlie psoriasis link to early mortality.(This Week)
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Science News
- Article date:
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December 22, 2007
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Copyright informationCOPYRIGHT 2007 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Severe psoriasis knocks as many years off a person's life expectancy as high blood pressure does, a new study suggests.
Psoriasis is a skin disease that causes an overproduction of skin cells. Most people use topical treatments on the thick patches of skin that develop. But the disease can be itchy and painful, and those with moderate disease often resort to ultraviolet-light therapy. Severe disease can require systemic drugs.
Researchers used a British medical database to track the fates of roughly 138,000 psoriasis patients between 1987 and 2002. Nearly 4,000 had severe disease. To define a large control group, the scientists located the records of up to five other ...