Psoriasis: A disease caused by our innate immunity?

In a healthy immune system, innate- and adaptive immune mechanisms cooperate closely to ensure a balanced immune response. In the pathophysiology of psoriasis both components are important. The debate about which component is the most important, needs to regarded as a semantic one, because both contribute in their own specific manner to the disease. However, research in the past decade has shifted the thinking on the contribution of innate versus adaptive immune system. The current opinion has shifted from a hypothetical Th1-mediated autoimmune disease to a disease primarily initiated by innate immune cells and mechanisms. The contribution of innate cells and innate mechanisms in the pathophysiology of psoriasis is discussed.