Exploring the Relationship between Psoriasis and Pregnancy: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

This systematic literature review examines the relationship between psoriasis and pregnancy to elucidate possible new routes of treatment. Findings from this review help reduce the gap in the literature on the topic as well as educate physicians and pregnant women with psoriasis on how psoriasis may present along the course of pregnancy and thereafter. Searches were primarily conducted in three databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Embase. Articles considered for inclusion in this literature review focused on the presentation of psoriasis during pregnancy. The literature sample obtained consisted of 14 peer-reviewed articles published from 2012-2022. As codes were identified, a master code list was developed. Second cycle coding involved categorizing of the data allowing for codes to combine and emerge as themes. Five themes were identified through categorical analysis: immunology, general sex hormones, estrogen, progesterone, and the HLA-Cw6 allele. Collectively, these findings elucidate the individual nature of psoriasis and identify progesterone as a possible non-teratogenic therapy. Primarily, the presence of the HLA-Cw6 allele in a woman’s genome along with the individual variation of estrogen receptors reinforces the researcher’s recommendation of genetic testing following a psoriasis diagnosis. This genetic testing may allow patients and physicians to best understand what to expect of psoriasis during pregnancy as well as help determine the most efficacious treatment course to follow for therapy.