Fruit consumption linked to psoriasis severity, other top dermatology headlines

Researchers from The Ohio State University College of Medicine found links between oral health and fruit consumption to psoriasis severity in the top story from Healio Dermatology last week.

“While this could potentially be explained by a confounding variable such as fruit consumption being linked to more health-conscious behaviors in general, it does raise the question of whether fruit consumption could be shifting the microbiome to a less inflammatory constituent,” Paul Macklis, BS, MS, study author and medical student at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, told Healio.

Continue reading for last week’s top dermatology stories.

Fruit consumption, oral health linked to psoriasis severity

“The biggest surprise was that frequent consumption of fresh fruit is associated with a lower severity of psoriasis,” Macklis said. Read more.

Teledermatology requires fewer visits to detect skin cancer

In skin cancer diagnosis, teledermatology has a sensitivity greater than 90% and a specificity greater than 80% compared with direct referral from primary care, according to a retrospective study. Read more.

Depression should be considered ‘ critical ’ comorbidity in PsA

Patients with psoriatic arthritis who also have depression were more likely to be on medications for PsA, had fewer swollen joints and lower disease activity via body surface area but also reported higher RAPID3 scores, according to research presented at the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Professionals annual meeting. Read more.

Any smoking exposure in patients with lupus affects cutaneous manifestations

Researchers suggested there is a dose relationship between smoking exposure and cutaneous manifestations in systemic lupus erythematosus, which highlights the importance of smoking cessation to improve outcomes, according to a presentation at the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Professionals annual meeting. Read more.