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How Alcohol Is Linked To Psoriasis In Women

Women who drink 2 or more times per week, particularly nonlight beer, are found to have a higher risk of developing psoriasis. This study out of Harvard University showed that the risk increased by 1.72 times normal. One hypothesis that was proposed was that non-light beer is made from wheat products, and that wheat contains gluten, which is a common component that provokes an autoimmune response in Celiac disease.

I’ve written before about how sleep apnea could cause psoriasis in men, and this situation can apply to women as well. Sleep-breathing problems at night, whether or not they’re apneas, can cause a low-grade physiologic stress response which heightens your immune system. When your body’s immune system is in a constant state of stress, it can easily attack normal tissues or proteins. Furthermore, when your body is under stress, certain parts of your body (like your skin, digestive or reproductive organs) will be deprived of blood flow and nervous innervation. Hypoxic states can cause oxidative stress, which has been shown to be linked to autoimmunity, atherosclerosis and even cancer.

Knowing how prevalent obstructive sleep apnea is in our population, this connection is not surprising. Is there anyone reading this blog that had their psoriasis go away completely after your sleep apnea was treated?