We know that psoriasis is one of the most wide spread chronic dermatitises, affecting about 2-3% of the total Earth population - that is 120 - 180 million people. We know that a person of any age - starting from early infancy to the elderly years - can develop psoriasis. We know that around half of the people with psoriasis have other relatives with psoriasis, which indicates that psoriasis is a genetic disorder. And we know that the prevalence of psoriasis has increased in the last 15-25 years.

Despite all that, there is still not enough of public psoriasis awareness; therefore the people with psoriasis are still often stared at because of the cosmetically appalling plaques and/or lesions on their skin.

Being a psoriasis sufferer myself, I have asked myself a question: Is psoriasis all bad and no good? Could there something beneficial about having psoriasis, especially if the itching, scaling and irritation are under control?

It turned out that some of the deviations, revealed in the bodies of the people with psoriasis when compared to the people without psoriasis, may be very beneficial.

The most notable deviation is the 20-30% raised content of the uric acid in the blood serum of the people with psoriasis.

The next question is: What do we know about uric acid?

Uric Acid was discovered in 1776 in urine, and thus it has received its name. However, uric acid is also present in the blood, the brain, and the rest of the body of every human being, as well as in the blood of the other higher primates like monkeys and lower primates like lemurs. Lower primates have lowered levels of the uric acid in their blood and a lower lifespan accordingly.

Various studies show that high levels of uric acid are transferred genetically, just like psoriasis itself. And even those people with psoriasis, who do not have any external psoriasis manifestations (i.e. the so-called latent psoriasis), also have high levels of Uric Acid in their bodies. With the elimination of the psoriatic plaques on the skin under the effect of, for example, UVB therapy, the levels of the uric acid in the body stay the same as they were before the elimination of the psoriatic lesions.

Uric acid is one of the most powerful natural antioxidants, produced by our bodies themselves.

Uric acid helps to lower the cell's oxidation and thus helps to slow the body tissue aging. This all is achieved by the protection against the free radicals and their damage, provided by the uric acid.

Slower body tissue aging will clearly result in the prolonged lifespan of the whole body.

People with psoriasis may be paying with their red scaly plaques for this and for the other possible benefits, which uric acid may provide to the psoriasis sufferers (possibly higher level of intellectual and physical activity, possible protection from the degenerative Central Nervous System disorders, such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease and Schizophrenia, and a possible protection from a stroke).