Popular Arthritis Supplement Found Effective for Psoriasis

By Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS, March 28, 2005, abstracted from "Clinical and histopathological improvement of psoriasis with oral chondroitin sulfate: A serendipitous finding�?from Dermatology Online Journal

Psoriasis is a skin condition that affects approximately 1-2% of people in the United States, or about 5.5 million. The most common type of psoriasis is called plaque psoriasis, characterized by red skin covered with silvery scales and inflammation. Up to 30% of all psoriasis conditions are accompanied by another condition called psoriatic arthritis.(1) Treatments for psoriasis vary widely, from simple topical vitamin D and coal tar to prescription drugs like corticosteroids.(2) Unfortunately, these treatments frequently yield inconsistent results from patient to patients.

Now a new study (3) has found that a popular arthritis supplement may actually help effectively treat psoriasis. Chondroitin sulfate has been found to be effective for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis(4) primarily through its ability to reduce inflammation, stimulate the synthesis of proteoglycans and hyaluronic acid, and by reducing the synthesis of nitric oxide and cell death of cartilage cells.(5,6,7)

In the study, researchers had 11 adults with a history of psoriasis and bilateral knee arthritis diagnosed and gave them 800 mg of oral chondroitin sulfate each day for 2 months. All patients were made to discontinue their current psoriasis treatments for at least 2 weeks before the study began.

The researchers were surprised to find that in addition to symptomatic relief of their knee pain, all but one of the patients “showed a dramatic improvement of the condition of the skin with a reduction of swelling, redness, flaking, and itching�?within just a few days of taking the chondroitin sulfate. Skin biopsies revealed a 29% and 31% decreases in thickness of different skin layers.

Although these results were statistically significant, the accidental nature of these findings prompted the researchers to state that "a placebo-controlled study in patients with psoriasis must be performed to assess the impact of treatment on the patient's quality of life.�?

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Danville, CA. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at [email protected] or by visiting his website at www.CompleteChiropracticHealthcare.com

Reference:

1 “Psoriasis Overview�?posted on www.emedicine.com November 2, 2004

2 “Psoriasis Treatment�?posted on www.emedicine.com November 2, 2004

3 Dougados M; Standing Committee for International Clinical Studies Including Therapeutic Trials ESCISIT. EULAR Recommendations 2003: an evidence based approach to the management of knee osteoarthritis: Report of a Task Force of the Standing Committee for International Clinical Studies Including Therapeutic Trials. Ann Rheum Dis 2003;62:1145-55

4 Verges, J., E. Montell, et al. (2005). "Clinical and histopathological improvement of psoriasis with oral chondroitin sulfate: A serendipitous finding." Dermatol Online J 11(1): 31

5 Ronca F, Palmieri L, Panicucci P, Ronca G. Anti-inflammatory activity of chondroitin sulfate. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 1998;6(Suppl A):14-2

6 Maneiro E, Fernandez Sueiro J, et al. Efecto del condroitin sulfato sobre la produccion de oxido nitrico por los condrocitos humanos artrosicos. Rev Esp Reumatol 2001;28:12-17

7 Bali JP, Cousse H, Neuzil E. Biochemical basis of the pharmacologic action of chondroitin sulfates on the osteoarticular system. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2001;31:58-68