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module menu icon Pathophysiology

The major biological abnormalities in psoriasis are:

  • Hyperproliferation of the epidermis, which leads to thickening of the epidermis and scaling €“ affected skin can be up to 16 times thicker than normal skin
  • Abnormal differentiation (maturation) of keratinocytes. Many of the cells in the stratum corneum (outermost layer of the skin) still contain nuclei whereas, in normal circumstances, these nuclei are lost by the time cells reach this layer
  • Infiltration of the dermis and epidermis with activated T-lymphocytes and neutrophils
  • Stimulation of the cutaneous vasculature, leading to new blood vessel formation in the psoriatic plaques.
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