A STUDY of 219 patients with the debilitating skin disease psoriasis has found that they have a higher predisposition to other metabolic-related ailments.

To date, the exact cause of psoriasis, which is characterised by red and scaly skin lesions, is not known, although research has pointed to a compromised immune system as a vital factor. There is no cure for the disease.

A National Skin Centre (NSC) study found, for example, that more than 34 per cent of psoriasis patients were obese, almost double the proportion found in a 2004 National Health Survey of the general population.

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