Psoriasis is a long-lasting, non-contagious and practically incurable disease. It mainly affects the skin, nails and joints. Psoriasis can occur in a person at any age, even children.
There are several theories about the cause of psoriasis:
- Neurogenic disease theory;
- Theory of problems in the endocrine system;
- The theory of viral diseases or the theory of metabolic diseases.
But none of these theories have been practically scientifically proven. So far, scientists have concluded that disease onset is influenced by heredity or a person's genetic predisposition to pathological changes in skin cells.
These cells are formed in the basal layer and, reaching the outer stratum corneum, form scales. The genetic factor proves the presence of the disease in relatives. In other words: if your relatives suffer from psoriasis, then it can show up in you or your children.
Factors Affecting the Onset of Psoriasis
The following factors affect the onset of psoriasis:
- Nervous breakdowns;
- Mental and physical shock, body overload;
- Endocrine system diseases;
- Biochemical and enzymatic disorders;
- Body hypothermia;
- Decreased immunity.
It is difficult to identify and confirm what caused this disease. They say that the disease appeared for no apparent reason.
What type of disease is psoriasis: how does it manifest?
With this disease, papules and plaques appear on the skin. Plaques are sharply limited compacted spots on the skin, pink or red in color with small pale scales. Plates have different shapes but are more often round or oval. They can be located anywhere on the human body, but are most often seen in the large joints, sacrum and lower back, under the hairs of the head.
Psoriatic papules are characterized by rapid growth with plaque formation of several centimeters, which then fuse into large skin lesions.
How is psoriasis diagnosed?
The following indicators are important for diagnosis:
- If you try to scrape off the papule, the scales are easily sprayed, forming a "stearin stain. "
- A bright reddish surface appears on the skin - the terminal skin of the blemish;
- If you continue to scrape the stain, a bleeding spot will appear on its surface - "blood dew".
Stages of psoriasis
For disease-associated rashes, the following stages of development are characteristic:
- Progressive stage (appearance of small papules, which grow with time and merge into larger papules);
- Stationary stage (the plates grow and do not change for a certain period of time);
- Regressive stage (the rash turns pale, thins, and disappears from the surface of the skin).
Depending on the state of the body, the illness can last for a long time.
For the first stage of the rash, the Kebner effect is characteristic: new psoriatic lesions appear on the damaged skin site after about a week.
During the period of skin remission in the elbow area or knee joints, isolated plaques, called "on duty" may remain.
Types of Psoriasis
There are several types of the disease:
- Exudative form: with it the swelling and shine of the papules with yellowish crusts on the surface are manifested;
- Follicular shape: small papules located in the area of the follicle orifices;
- Palmoplantar form of psoriasis: with it, the skin of the soles and palms of the hands is covered by fissures and scales, the psoriatic plaques are visible;
- Seborrheic psoriasis: located mainly on the scalp;
- Psoriatic erythroderma. In this form, the disease is very difficult, the entire surface of the skin is affected by psoriasis, swollen peripheral lymph nodes, fever, itching, sleep disturbances, changes in blood and urine are observed;
- Arthropathic psoriasis: affects and deforms joints, restricting their movement. It is characterized by severe pain and swelling in the affected joint area. This is a very painful form of psoriasis that often results in disability.
In all forms of psoriasis, there is a change in the nails: they become cloudy, thicken and small spots appear, as if they had been pricked with a needle.
The disease lasts for many years with periods of deterioration and improvement in health, it is characterized by seasonality: exacerbation in the cold and remission in the warm season.
psoriasis treatment
Psoriasis should be treated under the supervision of a physician in the dermatology department. Treatment is prescribed by the optimal combination of therapeutic drugs with ointments and physical therapy, as well as by limiting animal fats and carbohydrates in foods, alcohol and spicy foods.
Patients must be under the medical supervision of a dispensary and require annual spa treatment. In psoriasis, it is recommended to visit radon springs and hydrogen sulfide baths, swim in the sea and sunbathe.