Family history can predispose a person to developing psoriasis. Having a parent or another family member with psoriasis increases your risk of developing it yourself. More than 20 percent of psoriasis patients report having a family history.
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“Genetics seems to play a large role — people with psoriasis often have a family history of psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis,” says Shilpi Khetarpal, MD, a dermatologist at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus in Ohio.
But the role of genes isn’t clear-cut. Some people who develop psoriasis don’t have genes that increase their risk, and some people with genes that are known to increase the risk of developing psoriasis never do.
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The best explanation: Psoriasis is due to a certain “mix” of genes in combination with environmental triggers, some of which are still unknown.
Note that psoriasis can develop in people of any race or ethnicity.
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While individuals can have their first psoriasis symptoms at any age, there are two peaks: between age 20 and 30 and between 50 and 60, according to research.
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Psoriasis is not contagious; it doesn’t spread through physical contact or exchange of bodily fluids.
In other words, a person can’t spread the disease through touch or saliva or during any kind of sexual contact.
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