Beer Linked To Psoriasis, Women At High Risk

By: Bill Waters
08/22/2010 11:06 AM ET

Beer linked to psoriasis, women at high risk. Psoriasis is now linked to women who drink beer, according to a new health study. Woman who consume beer are linked to psoriasis, published in the latest report by Archives of Dermatology.

Psoriasis is a common immune-medicated skin disease. Treatment for the disease is ongoing, but new information published by the Archives of Dermatology suggests new possible cures. A recent study has also linked the disease with women who drink beer.

According to the study, the skin disease has been associated with alcohol consumption and will worsening has long been suspected. According to the author, the association is individuals with psoriasis drink more alcohol than individuals without psoriasis, and alcohol intake may exacerbate psoriasis severity.

Abrar A. Qureshi, M.D., M.P.H., of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, examined data from 82,869 women between the ages of 27 and 44 years in 1991. They evaluated the link between different types of alcohol and psoriasis risk. These women reported the amount and type of alcohol they consumed on biennial questionnaires. An additional question on the questionnaires was whether they had received a diagnosis of psoriasis.

Women who consumed an average of at least 2.3 drinks per week had a 72 percent higher risk of developing psoriasis compared to women who did not consume alcohol. In addition, there was a link between non-light beer and psoriasis. Women who consumed at least five beers per week were 1.8 times as likely to develop psoriasis compared to women who never consumed alcohol.