ABSTRACT
Psoriasis is a common, chronic skin disease affecting approximately 2.2% of American adults (1). The disease affects not only the physical health of patients, but can also lead to substantial impairment of psychosocial well-being and overall quality of life. Furthermore, psoriasis represents a significant financial cost for both patients and the overall health care system. In 1993, the outpatient cost alone of psoriasis was estimated to be $650-800 annually per patient, totaling between $1.6 and $3.2 billion dollars in the United States (2). The treatment options for psoriasis are manifold (3); however, none have proven to be universally remittive. Why certain therapeutics are effective in some patients and ineffective in others is
a question that has led some researchers to turn to the field of pharmacogenetics. Pharmacogenetics holds the promise of identifying particular polymorphisms that may significantly affect drug efficacy and/or toxicity.
