Main menu
Common skin conditions
NEWS
Join DermNet PRO
Read more
Quick links
The seemingly diverse conditions illustrated in this month’s quiz are cutaneous signs of metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome refers to the combination of abdominal obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and insulin resistance.
For each of the twelve cases, study the image(s) and then answer the questions. You can click on the image to view a larger version if required.
Each case should take approximately 2 minutes to complete. There is a list of suggested further reading material at the end of the quiz.
Name the skin condition(s).
Chronic plaque psoriasis
What is the cause?
Chronic plaque psoriasis tends to be more prevalent, more severe, and more resistant to treatment in obese subjects. Recent understanding of the pathogenesis of psoriasis implicates TH1 cytokines, particularly TNF-alpha. TNF-alpha and other pro-inflammatory cytokines are produced by fat cells and induce insulin resistance.