Psoriasis and Helicobacter pylori

Recently, several reports have been pointing to a possible relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection of gastric mucosa and dermatological diseases. Association has been reported for urticaria, rosacea, Sjogrens syndrome and Henoch-Schonlein purpura. It has also been suggested that Helicobacter pylori may be one of the organisms capable of triggering psoriasis. We did Helicobacter pylori serology in 50 clinically typical psoriatic patients presenting to the Department of Dermatology, SMHS Hospital, Srinagar to determine if antibodies to Helicobacter pylori could be found in them. These psoriatic patients were without any known gastrointestinal complaints. An equal number of healthy individuals constituted the control group. The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori sero-positivity in psoriatic patients was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than in control group.