Psoriasis is a common long-term skin condition that causes red, itchy, scaly patches and affects over 100 million people worldwide. Meanwhile, multiple myeloma (MM) accounts for 10% of all blood cancers in the US.
Because multiple myeloma is an immune disorder, as is psoriasis, the HealthTree for Multiple Myeloma research team evaluated connections between the two dieases after learning from HealthTree Cure Hub data that psoriasis was the most prevalent co-immune system condition for myeloma patients.
Other co-disorders found in the HealthTree Cure Hub data included osteopenia (reduced bone mass), inflammatory bowel disease (chronic inflammation of the digestive tract), and gout (a form of arthritis caused by uric acid deposits in the joints).
Physicians often face difficult decisions in treating patients diagnosed psoriasis and multiple myeloma due to limited research about the intersection between these two conditions.
For example, treating psoriasis with systemic immunotherapies in patients with multiple myeloma can be challenging because of concerns about immunosuppression (having a weakened immune system and difficulty fighting infections) and the possible worsening of multiple myeloma.
Looking at similarities with between the diseases, it was noted that Interleukin-17 (IL-17) has been identified as a cytokine that promotes both psoriasis and multiple myeloma; however, the use of IL-17 inhibitors in patients with multiple myeloma has not been examined. By using online platforms such as HealthTree Curehub we can gain a greater understanding of the clinical characteristics and treatment responses of patients diagnosed with both psoriasis and multiple myeloma.
The HealthTree study was performed in collaboratation with psorisais genomics expert Wilson Lio, MD, Phd of the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). Using the HealthTree CureHub platform, we evaluated a total of 1505 patients with a verified diagnosis of multiple myeloma. Psoriasis was present in 4.9% of these patients.
We examined the demographics (such as gender and age) and clinical characteristics (such as psoriasis type, psoriasis treatment history, myeloma type, myeloma genetic features, and myeloma association with bone damage, hypercalcemia, or osteopenia) of patients diagnosed with psoriasis and multiple myeloma. We also investigated the use of systemic immunomodulators for treatment of psoriasis in patients with multiple myeloma.
A questionnaire was sent to 73 HealthTree patients with a confirmed diagnosis of both psoriasis and multiple myeloma and we received 18 complete responses from these patients.
Our main goals at the HealthTree Foundation are to provide innovative tools to empower patients to find their best myeloma treatments and accelerate scientific research by enabling the contribution of health data. We do this with our HealthTree CureHub platform where more than 10,000 patients have registered to take advantage of the free tools we provide, such as the twin machine, treatment options tool and the myeloma specialist directory.
By taking advantage of patient health data available on HealthTree, researchers can better understand the clinical characteristics and treatment responses of patients diagnosed with psoriasis and multiple myeloma.
If you are a patient with multiple myeloma and would like to contribute to research, you can create a HealthTree CureHub account here.
about the author
Patricia Flores
Patricia is an International Medical Graduate who joined HealthTree in 2020 as part of the Patient Experience team. She helps patients understand and track their lab & genetic test results as well as relevant information from their health history. She loves ballet, traveling, and reading a good science fiction book as often as possible.
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