Association between emotional stress and psoriasis

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic recurrent inflammatory skin disease, whose occurrence is associated with heredity, immunity, infection, emotional stress, etc. Most patients with psoriasis often suffer from emotional stress-related disorders, such as anxiety, depression and insomnia, which severely affect quality of life in patients. Emotional stress can exacerbate psoriasis likely through the neuro-endocrine-immune network and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. Recently, the relationship between emotional stress and psoriasis has drawn extensive attention. The authors summarize the relationship of emotional stress (including depression, anxiety, life events or work stress, sleep disorders, and so on) with occurrence and development of psoriasis, as well as possible underlying mechanisms, which may provide a basis for the treatment of psoriasis. Key words: Psoriasis; Stress, psychological; Anxiety; Depression; Sleep initiation and maintenance disorders; p38 Mitogen-activated protein kinases