AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PSORIASIS AND HEREDITARY MULTIPLE EXOSTOSES - A CLUE FOR THE MAPPING OF A PSORIASIS SUSCEPTIBILITY GENE

Chronic plaque psoriasis affects approximately 1.6% of the U.K. popula tion. Population, family and twin studies all strongly suggest an impo rtant genetic component in the pathogenesis of the disease, although g enetic linkage studies have, so far, failed to identify susceptibility genes. We describe a family in which psoriasis cosegregates through t hree generations with a known autosomal dominant disorder, hereditary multiple exostoses (HME). A major locus for HME has recently been mapp ed to chromosome 8q. Observations in this family may provide a mapping clue for a psoriasis susceptibility gene.