Helicobacter Pylori and Psoriasis?

[Chappers_27]

Please see article below

I've been following threads about diet and psoriasis. I have long considered that diet plays a role in psoriasis. I have never considered that I may be harbouring a nasty in my stomach and it may be this that is causing psoriasis. Now, this is VERY VERY interesting for me because there are only 3 times in my life that I have been completely free of psoriasis. One of them was from a trip to the Dead Sea (lasted 3 months). Another was from being on Cyclosporin (yuk!, never again). But the other time was when I was in hospital recovering from meningitis. I had psoriasis then but was pumped full of antibiotics to combat the meningitis - and one result was a complete clearance of psoriasis. The other things I remember were, just at the point when my psoriasis got much much worse, I suffered from food poisoning twice (one of those times abroad in Turkey).

Its food for thought - how many people that suffer from psoriasis believe its diet/stomach/digestion related? I have always thought this.


Psoriasis-H. pylori link 'needs investigating'By Liam Davenport23 November 2007J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2007; Advance online publicationMedWire News: A potential link between Helicobacter pylori gastric infection and chronic plaque psoriasis deserves further examination, say UK scientists who found that a patient's psoriasis improved significantly after H. pylori eradication. H. pylori, which is implicated in the pathogenesis of gastritis and peptic ulcer, is thought to infect at least 50% of the world's population. It has also been associated with skin diseases such as chronic urticaria, lichen planus, and dermatitis herpitiformis. M Ali and M Whitehead from Eastbourne Hospital report the case of a 48-year-old woman with a history of pyloroplasty and chronic epigastric pain secondary to H. pylori infection. The woman was treated with standard triple eradication therapy, consisting of one proton pump inhibitor and two antibiotics, for 7 days. Due to the patient's extensive and severe psoriasis, she was referred to a dermatologist. The woman had suffered from psoriasis for at least 15 years and it affected her entire body, aside from the face and scalp, the team notes in a letter published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. Within 2 weeks of treating the H. pylori infection, the patient noticed a major improvement in her psoriasis, despite not using any psoriasis treatment during this period. Examination 4 months after treatment revealed extensive post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation on the sites of the previous severe psoriasis on the arms, knees, trunk, buttocks and back of the thighs. The team suggests: "The mechanism of systemic H. pylori effects in the skin diseases may involve immune modulation effect by the drugs, an autoimmune mechanism, impairment of vascular integrity, and super antigen effect on the bacteria itself."
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[stewart_h]

I believe ALL psoriasis patients should get H Pylori and gluten allergy (celiac) blood tests as a bare minimum. There is enough evidence and anecdotes on both those topics to warrent it. Sadly both came back as negative for me. With the NHS playthe game ie for h pylori u need to say u r getting tender stomach and indigestion. With gluten u need to say u r getting tired after wheat or getting gastiric problems after eating wheat. Why? Because they wont test you just because there is osme evidence of alink to psoriasis.

[babyblue]

Very interesting guys, thank you both for that !! 

[ripper]

If you take NSAIDs for PsA like I did there is every chance you will end up with a stomach ulcer like I did - so you might get one anyway.

Ripper

[pedro59]

I have always believed (and have posted on here before as such) that Psoriasis will one day be shown to be of a bacterial origin.
Guttate Psoriasis is already accepted as being of bacterial origin.

Rieter's sydrome mimcks PPP psoriasis including arthritic involvement  scaling Skin and red lesions and is initiated by a bladder infection.

Stomach ulcers used to be blamed on stress (Just like Psoriasis !) before they discovered Helicobactor pylori organism (there is now some evidence of an initiating/exacerbating influence on Rosacea of Helicobactor pylori)

How come some people (5% of the Pop) harmlessly 'carry' deadly Meningococcal organism until it is triggered

NOW the confusing thing is that it takes a particular strain or 'cocktail' of antbiotics to take out Helicobactor ..I mean...all these people for decades having stomach ulcers must have had some antibiotics before some time in thier lives for their sore tooth or infected leg scratch or Pneumonia etc that DIDN"T help  their stomach ulcers...

So..once we identify the organism ...hopefully we can target it with the right strain of antbiotic...

AND this still does not take away the probability to a genetic involvement still..

...again some people 'Carry' deadly meningococcal all their lives harmlessly and some people's immune system genetically react to it...

..this I believe  is the same for Psoriasis....some people can be exposed to the virus/becteria /yeast strain/organism and there immune system copes  and becomes a 'Carrier' of the P bug ...but some people 's immune sytem has a genetic chip that won't deal with it.



The important point here is HOPE...ie it may be easier to track down this organism than change one's genes..

[SJ]

I had an H Pylori test a few years back...but was negative.

SJ

[avadoro]

Please see article below

.... But the other time was when I was in hospital recovering from meningitis. I had psoriasis then but was pumped full of antibiotics to combat the meningitis - and one result was a complete clearance of psoriasis.

interesting ...

do you remember what antibiotics ?
did you used probiotics after antibiotics treatment , and how it influenced your psoriasis.
Do you have any patches right now ?
How long have you stayed clear ?
Do you suffer any guts/stomach diseases ?
Is your metoboilsm fast or rather slow ?
Do you eat much proteins ?
What kind of psoriasis  do you suffer from ?
where are/were patches localised ?
Is tanning helping you ? Or stoppedd helping a time ago ?


excuse me questions , as some may be considered by You as a private , but You are first person that cleared  this way that I may talk to ..
I have read about case of clearence of P after some drugs intake before cardiac surgery. It was connected then with kidney detox.

[Chappers_27]

do you remember what antibiotics ?
did you used probiotics after antibiotics treatment , and how it influenced your psoriasis.
Do you have any patches right now ?
How long have you stayed clear ?
Do you suffer any guts/stomach diseases ?
Is your metoboilsm fast or rather slow ?
Do you eat much proteins ?
What kind of psoriasis  do you suffer from ?
where are/were patches localised ?
Is tanning helping you ? Or stoppedd helping a time ago ?


When I was in my teen years I took Oxytetracyclin daily for acne. I think this is what started my scalp psoriasis when I was 15.

I did NOT use probiotics or prebiotics after treatment (either when I was 15 or later when I was recovering from meningitis)

Yes I have guttate psoriasis patches now

Dead Sea cleared me for about 3 months and from memory about the same time after meningitis

I dont have any gut/stomach problems, no.

My metabolism was very fast (up until say 25), with a slow heart rate, now I'd guess metabolism is slow

I used to have a very poor diet - for about ten years whilst working liking a loon in London, I lived off a diet of smoking, beer, more beer, curries, burgers, late nights, very late nights, crisps, chips and baked beans. I abused my body!

Tanning helps me - and its the only thing that does help me. I tried drugs, but they made me ill.

Hope this helps!!!

[avadoro]

In your case I would check if your skin is infected with any viruses. Don't know how to describe it in English, but they may take a scrap of your skin and check in laboratory if there are any antibodies. Acne triggered psoriasis, got rid of acne but probably viruses are still there, but psoriasis causes that you have not any acne symptoms ( biochemistry of psoriasis causes that we do not have blains ( pimples whatever it is called ). Blood test for antibodies might be helpful.

Did you notice any pimples during your other remmisions ?

Do you have any lung problems by the way

ps UV radiation of the Sun is very strong disinfector and acts anti-inflammatory

[bjm]

just an anecdotal comment about H. pylori.

back in the 80's i would bring my father to the clinic for his monthly coumadin check, and general health assessment. Dad has many problems..a number of strokes which left him blind for many years, heart bypass,ulcers etc..and severe plaque psoriasis...as a kid the smell of coal tar was always in the air..

I happened to be reading the latest library issue of the Lancet (no internet then   ) and came across the first published literature out of australia on h pylori..as a cause of peptic ulcer...knowing this was one of dads problems i brought up the treament at the next monthly clinic visit...

The internist was enthusiastic as i brought him a copy of the article and he ordered the meds...i believe at the time the suggested treatment in the article was was metronidazole, doxyclycline and bismuth or pepto bismal  tablets...

the treatment seemed effective as his stomach problems diminished but his plaque psoriasis was as persistent as ever for the next ten years of his life...

..my feeling is that any inflammation can exacerbate P...he probably had many other causes of inflammation  besides the h pylori. so consistent results were elusive.

bj