Skin inflammation may increase your risk of type 2 diabetes

Inflammatory skin disorders, such as psoriasis, may directly increase the risk of type-2 diabetes, according to a new study presented at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Glasgow. The study findings indicate that improving skin health could be of major importance for the control of blood sugar and lowering diabetes risk. Approximately 2-3% of the global population suffer from psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory disorder where the immune system attacks skin cells, resulting in too much growth of younger skin cells leading to itchy red sores. Unfortunately there is currently no cure for psoriasis with patients having to use treatments to alleviate the symptoms throughout their life. To add to this burden, previous studies have shown that having psoriasis increases your risk of developing type-2 diabetes. However, the specific biological mechanisms linking the two disorders are unknown, and if defined, they could lead to new therapies to treat patients suffering from skin problems and reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes. In this study, Elizabeth Evans and colleagues at King's College London used animal and human skin models, to look for changes caused by…