50 years ago, scientists were seeking the cause of psoriasis

Cyclic AMP and psoriasis — Science News, April 29, 1972

[A team of dermatologists] discovered that cyclic AMP levels in psoriasis lesions are significantly lower than in healthy skin.… [The team] is now trying to find out if the cyclic AMP deficiency causes psoriasis and to develop a medication to increase cyclic AMP levels in psoriasis lesions.

Update

Psoriasis, which affects 2 to 3 percent of the global population, is an inflammatory skin disease marked by red, scaly patches that itch or burn. Low levels of cyclic AMP — a chemical messenger key to cellular communication — haven’t been found to cause the disease. Psoriasis stems from an overactive immune response. Cyclic AMP is just one player alongside other chemical messengers and immune cells, and certain gene variants can make a person more susceptible. The choice among a range of treatment options today depends in part on the severity of the disease and the areas of the body affected. One drug, called apremilast, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2014, increases levels of cyclic AMP, among other actions.