Important Information about PSORIASIS

Psoriasis Facts:

• Psoriasis affects, over 8 million Americans, an estimated 9 million Europeans and over 80 million persons worldwide.
  
• Approximately 320,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S.A.
  
• In the U.S.A., Psoriasis accounts for 2.4 million dermatologist visits per year.
  
• About 30% of people with Psoriasis have cases that are moderate to severe (affecting more than 3% of the body).
  
• Severe types of Psoriasis can compromise the skin’s ability to control body temperature and prevent infections.
  
• Four hundred people die annually from Psoriasis-related causes in the U.S.
  
• Psoriasis may disqualify a person from serving in the U.S. military.

Psoriasis is a chronic remitting and relapsing scaly and inflammatory skin disorder.  Sufferers of the most common form of Psoriasis, plaque Psoriasis, exhibit scaly lesions on the skin which can range from mild cases, in which less than 10 percent of the skin is involved, to severe cases, in which almost the entire skin, including the scalp is affected.  Research suggests that the root cause of the disorder can be traced to the immune system.  For some as yet undetermined reason,the immune system sends incorrect signals to the body, acting as if a skin area were injured.  This stimulates skin cells to grow faster to heal the area, causing red lesions to appear, multiply and scale over with silvery patches. 

Often, red eruptions appear on the surface of the skin and cause itching. The itching areas form plaques over the reddened lesions.  The plaque resembles multi-layered scales of skin. 

Outbreaks of Psoriasis vary in intensity with the most severe cases requiring hospitalization and/or leading to a disabling form of arthritis.  (See the Article “Types of Psoriasis”)

Current research indicates that heredity plays a role in the development of Psoriasis, although it does affect persons with no apparent familial history of skin disorders.  Currently, there is a 4-5% yearly increase in the cases of Psoriasis in the U.S.A. alone.

Psoriasis can initiate as early as birth, or not occur until very late in life.  Once it begins, there are only remissions and relapses of varying degrees of intensity.  At present, there is no known permanent cure.  Because of this, the Psoriasis sufferer is likely to be a long-term user of medical treatments, which emphasizes the importance of selecting a treatment which does not cause side effects. There are a variety of topical treatments available, by prescription and over-the-counter, in order to control inflammation and scaling.  The most commonly used are listed below:

Treatment	Description	Side Effects
Coal Tar	Coal tar has been used to treat the itching and inflammation caused by skin conditions for hundreds of years. The tar contains chemicals that soothe the skin.	Coal tar is very sticky and messy. It can cause sun sensitivity, and may irritate acute dermatitis.
Hydrocortisone Cream	Hydrocortisone cream is a topical corticosteroid. Corticosteroids are a family of effective anti-inflammatory drugs. Hydrocortisone cream loses its effectiveness over time, however.	Corticosteroids can cause thin skin, stretch marks and excess body hair. They are not recommended for long-term use.
Topical Immunomodulators	Topical immunomodulators (TIMs) are a new type of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Clinical trials suggest 80% of eczema cases treated with TIMs clear up or significantly improve.	Mild burning sensations have been reported when applying TIMs. In general, however, TIMs have fewer side effects than corticosteroids.

Excessive skin dryness can trigger new Psoriasis lesions.  Regular skin care with moisturizing and lubricating agents prevents skin dryness and moisturizers may often be for used for cleansing instead of soap.

by: Armstrong Skin Aid
date: Wednesday, April 26, 2006