Psoriasis and stress *

Abstract

Psoriasis patients (132) who were completely cleared with dithranol were assessed and then followed up over a 3 yr period. The incubation time from specific incidents of stress to the development of psoriasis was between 2 days and 1 mo. Specific stress within a month before the 1st attack was recalled by 51 patients (39%); chance association was excluded by studying a control group where there was significantly less specific stress. The prognosis for the psoriasis patients who recollected specific stress a month prior to the onset was significantly better than for the rest of the patients where none was recalled.