Question: Will My Children Get Psoriasis?
Many parents with psoriasis wonder if their children will also get the disease. Since psoriasis has a genetic basis
, the question is legitimate, but the answers are often estimates at best.
Psoriasis has a genetic basis: Thirty-six percent to 91% of patients have some sort of family history of the disease. If both parents and a sibling have psoriasis however, the risk is as high as 83. Here are some other statistics to consider:
- one sibling with psoriasis: risk is 24%
- one parent with psoriasis: risk is 28%
- one sibling and one parent with psoriasis: risk is 41%
- two parents with psoriasis: risk is 65%
Note that in no case is the risk 100%, meaning that no one can say for certain that a given child will have psoriasis no matter what the family history. Also realize that psoriasis can occur in the complete absence of any family history.
Gagnon L. Pediatric Psoriasis. Dermatology Times. 2008;29:17-19.