Flare up phenomenon in psoriasis after SARS-CoV-2 infection

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic, non-communicable disease for which there is no cure. It can involve skin, nails and joints and affected individuals are more susceptible to having comorbidities. The worldwide prevalence is approximately 2%, having a great impact on quality of life. Although the etiology is uncertain, the disease is believed to result from a complex interaction between genetics, environment and the immune system. The characteristic lesions of psoriasis are silvery-white scaly erythematous plaques, the most common subtype being psoriasis vulgaris. Because there is an environmental component involved, there are some triggers that can trigger the disease or exacerbate it, among them other infections, such as Covid-19, which was responsible for the pandemic that started in December 2019. The objective of this study is to make an analysis of documented cases of exacerbation of psoriasis by Covid-19. For this purpose, a search was carried out in Pubmed, LILACS, Science Direct, Scielo and Cochrane Library databases. Studies cite as a justification for this event, the emotional stress caused by social isolation, fear after diagnosis and the pathophysiology of Covid-19 itself, causing a greater inflammatory state in the affected individual.