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So as it turns out, this is another
one of those annoying, self esteem breakers. Yes the skin disease
Psoriasis. You read that right it is a disease. A rather embarrassing
skin disease that has been known to lead to frustration and in
some cases deep depression. If you suffer from it don't feel
alone, you are just one of 80 million people world wide that
suffer with the same skin disease. This makes it a rather common
skin disease.
As you can imagine since Psoriasis
comes from the Greek word "psora" which means "to
itch", the skin disease it is well known in living up to
its name. As if itching is not bad enough it is sometimes rather
painful too.
Views seem to differ in when
Psoriasis may occur, yet the most common thought is that Psoriasis
can happen at any age between 12 and 45. It is not prone to effect
one sex more than another yet it does seem to be more common
in adults than in children. Caucasians seem to be at a slightly
higher risk too.
Ok, so what is it, well if you
suffer from it, or know someone who does you need no introduction,
but for those who are not as familiar with it, the most common
form of Psoriasis (plaque Psoriasis) is when you find the skin
red and inflamed with a silvery white scale on top. These scales
gradually enlarge and increase in number. When the scales are
scraped off a few bleeding points are visible.
Basically what happens is the
skin regenerates too quickly. Skin rapidly accumulates at the
effected site which causes the silvery white scales. But my next
question was what causes that to happen? Well the blame seems
to lie at the doorstep of the T-Cells making it an immune system
disorder.
Ordinarily these T-cells are
supposed to help protect the body from infection yet in the case
of Psoriasis they cause inflammation and rapid production of
skin cells. They seem to be trying to heal an injury, one that
is not really there. It is still not known what triggers the
T-cells to be released to the dermis yet it is known that a normal
skin cell matures in 28-30 days but in the case of Psoriasis
it can happen as quickly as 3-6 days.
This is not the only form of
Psoriasis; there seem to be many variations. People generally
only have one form of Psoriasis at a time yet they can change
from one form to another. One form of Psoriasis may clear up
and later another form will appear.
The other, some refer to it as
the more severe form of Psoriasis, is Pustular Psoriasis. These
are blisters that are not infectious yet are filled with pus.
This pus consists of white blood cells. The skin around this
area is red and tender. The blisters eventually turn brown and
form a scaly crust.
Guttate Psoriasis derives from
the Latin word meaning "drop" and they are small red
individual spots that usually appear on the trunk and the limbs.
There name is because they look like little tear drops. This
form of Psoriasis is mostly commonly yet not solely linked with
Streptococcal infection.
Inverse Psoriasis is found in
the arm pits, under the breasts, and other skin folds around
the genitals. This appears as shiny red areas with out the scales
that are found with Plaque Psoriasis. It tends to be more common
in over weight people as with skin folds and sweating the problem
becomes much more irritated.
The general consensus seems to
be that even though this disease is not contagious it does seem
to be to a large degree hereditary. It is not guaranteed that
it will develop from these genes that carry it but there does
seem to be certain conditions that may bring it out. Skin damage
due to the sun, alcohol, strep throat, stress and some medications
(including pain killers and anti malarial medication) may be
all that is required to trigger Psoriasis and bring it to the
fore. Stress and emotional traumas are rather large contributors
to Psoriasis.
It may affect anywhere yet it
is most commonly found on the scalp, elbows, knees and lower
back. The groin, the nails and the palms and soles of the feet
are also affected areas. When the nails become affected they
become pitted or discolured. The joints may also be affected
and in such cases the Psoriasis is called Psoriatic Arthritis.
In the case of Psoriatic Arthritis
the condition is characterized by stiff, tender and inflamed
joints. There are five different forms of Psoriatic Arthritis.
Generally it only affects a few fingers and toes yet in severe
cases this can be rather debilitating to the point that the individual
suffering cannot work as all his/her time is preoccupied in trying
to alleviate the pain.
Because there is no known cure
Psoriasis can be absolutely heart breaking to the person suffering
with it. There are medications and therapies that are able to
clear up the patches of Psoriasis and to help it go into a state
of remission. Treatment varies due to the severity of the Psoriasis
and what form of Psoriasis the individual is suffering from.
Consulting ones doctor is imperative. It will most likely flare
up again over ones life time yet you do not have to give up all
hope as the positive thing is that it can be controlled. It is
just a matter of finding what works for you.
About the author: Michelle Ludick
lives in Johannesburg South Africa with her husband and two small
children. Her interest in health lead to her website http://www.bhealthy247.com
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