Psoriasis is a chronic disease where people get dry red patches covered with scales; especially on the scalp and ears and genitalia and the skin over bony prominences. It is chronic but non contagious. Psoriasis can start in many ways. In most of the sufferers, it is inherited. But not simply, in a direct way like hair color, but includes multiple genes. For this thing, it is not always transparent that how someone actually gets it.
Inherited type of this disease starts in childhood or in a young adult time. Sometimes, mainly in children, a strep throat or virus causes brief attacks of very small spots of this Plaque Psoriasis. In middle aged people, a non hereditary psoriasis may develop. It changes faster than the inherited one. Most types show tendency of coming and going, with variable intensity. Psoriasis outbursts may spark off by change in climate, excess alcohol consumption, infections, stress, rash and dry skin, excess smoking etc.
Symptoms of Psoriasis
Psoriasis areas may exacerbate by scratching or minor skin injuries. It can give a sensation of itching or burning. Psoriasis can also strike some joints driving discomfort and curbed motion, and also distortion. This may occur in about 30 percent of people with the above mentioned disease. It is ever cited as psoriatic arthritis . It affects a few fingertips very often, but in some cases this can be grave and widespread. It also can harm the fingernails, toenails and even the mucous membranes lining the genital organs and mouth. Treatment relies on the complexity and depth of disease and its reaction to prior treatments.
Treatment of Psoriasis
Medications may take weeks to years after beginning them. These contain anti inflammatory non steroidal drugs (Indocin, Feldene, Advil and others), blood pressure (Inderal, Tenormin), oral steroids like prednisone, depression (lithium). It tends to be riskiest in people with disordered immune system (cancer, AIDS, autoimmune diseases).
The 1st stage of treatment includes topical medicine application. These are used on to the skin. The next step includes treatments with UV light (phototherapy) and final step is taking medicines internally also injections. Treatments from every level are often blended, or switched in every 1 to two year. A treatment which is effective in one may fail in someone else. Trial & error and personal penchants always guide treatment. Over time, psoriasis goes to resist its medications. The size, amount of the disease, locations, specific form of disorder and prior treatments are some of the treatment decisions.
Symmetric, Asymmetric, Arthritis mutilans, Spondylitis, Distal interphalangeal predominant are the types of psoriatic arthritis mainly found. The underlying problem in this is inflammation or swelling of joints, hence treatments are subjected at lessening and controlling these swellings. NSAIDs like naproxen and diclofenac are generally the first stage medication. Other medication options for the disease contain giving injections in joints with corticosteroids but this is only used if a very few or some joints are affected. If desired control is not gained by using these joint injections and above cited, then second stage treatments is immunosuppressants that are methotrexate or leflunomide are mixed to the treatment. A plus point of immunosuppressive treatment is that it treats psoriasis arthritis along with arthropathy.