MOST people have heard of the skin complaint, psoriasis. But it's not as widely known that people who suffer from it also have an increased risk of developing a form of inflammatory arthritis which affects both the skin and joints. This condition -- famously suffered by the late playwright Dennis Potter -- is known as psoriatic arthritis.

We know that there is a genetic link between the skin condition and the arthritis, but to date studies have been limited to small numbers and have not explored the new genes we now know are relevant.

So we plan to study patients with psoriatic arthritis to attempt to disover how their genetic make-up differs, not only from the general public, but also from patients with psoriasis alone and arthritis alone.

By doing this we hope to solve the conundrum of this "disease within a disease". A better understanding of the genetic factors behind the condtion will help us to develop new treatments and may even in future help us prevent the problem developing.

Our team at the Arthritis Research Campaign Epidemiology Unit at the University of Manchester plan to recruit 400 people who currently have both psoriasis and some kind of inflammatory arthritis. A research nurse will visit volunteers at your home or at your next clinical appointment in your local hospital where a basic medical history will be taken, an examination performed and a single blood sample taken. If you can help, please contact me for an information pack.

Peter Bradburn,

ARC Epidemiology Unit,

Manchester University.

Tel: 0161 275 5037.

e-mail: peter.bradburn @fs1.ser.man.ac.uk