Interaction between severe mental illness and autoimmune pathology: schizophrenia and psoriatic arthritis, case report
Keywords:
schizophrenia; psoriatic arthritis; comorbidityAbstract
Introduction: A bidirectional association between schizophrenia and chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and psoriasis is now recognized. These disorders share common pathophysiological mechanisms, including immune dysfunction, systemic pro-inflammatory activation, and alterations in the neuroimmune axis. Schizophrenia has been linked to a chronic low-grade inflammatory state, while arthritis and psoriasis have a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders, suggesting a complex interaction between inflammation, genetics, stress, and environmental factors, with relevant implications for a comprehensive clinical approach.
Case presentation: We describe a patient who presented with acute or recurrent psychiatric symptoms, accompanied by cognitive impairment, hand stiffness, and skin lesions in the auricular and periauricular regions, with hand radiographs showing marked radiological signs of chronic arthropathy.
Conclusión: This clinical case underscores the interconnection between chronic psychiatric illnesses and autoimmune/inflammatory disorders, highlighting the brain-skin-joint axis. The progression of long-standing paranoid schizophrenia to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis suggests that persistent systemic inflammatory activation and chronic stress act as immunological triggers. The importance of an interdisciplinary approach (psychiatry, dermatology, rheumatology) for the comprehensive management of this patient is emphasized.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Jose Alejandro Valdevila FIgueira, Horacio Enrique Gaibor Mendoza, Bruno Nativi Merchan, Indira Dayana Carvajal Parra
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