Immunopathological features of psoriasis

Abstract

Psoriasis, a common multifactor skin disease, has received attention as a target for new pathogenesis-oriented biologic therapies. Psoriasis is important to the clinician because it is common and has treatment implications beyond the care of skin lesions. It is important to the physician-scientist because it serves as a model for studies of mechanisms of chronic inflammation. In recent years, substantial advances have been made in elucidating the mechanisms of psoriasis. However, major issues remain unresolved, including the primary nature of the disease as an epithelial or immunologic disorder, the autoimmune cause of the inflammatory process, the relevance of cutaneous versus systemic factors, and the role of genetic versus environmental influences on disease initiation, progression This review summarizes recent progress in understanding of the immunologic basis of psoriasis and shows how improved insight into disease mechanisms has already resulted in tangible benefits for patients, including the introduction of new targeted therapies.