These “excess” skin cells that form the psoriatic plaques are different in color, hard to the touch visible “patches”, most often on the elbows, knees, palms, soles, skull and waist.
The symptoms vary depending on the severity of the disease. It can be from mild to severe, from dermal to generalized physically and mentally. The most common are tenderness, itching, burning or psoriatic plaques – it is characteristic that spotted bleeding (“bloody dew”) occurs when the plaque is removed by scratching.
“30% of people with psoriasis can also develop psoriatic arthritis. In addition, for many people, psoriasis has a great and serious emotional impact, as they feel obliged to give explanations to their friendly, family and professional environment “, emphasizes Mr. Konstantinos Mileounis, Dermatologist-Venereologist at Metropolitan Hospital.
Which people can get psoriasis?
Psoriasis does not “discriminate”. It can occur in any person at any time of life, regardless of gender and age (it is a little more common in people 20-35 years old). It affects millions of people around the world (2-3% of the world’s population). It is an expression of some genes (genes exist from birth, but whether or when psoriasis will be activated has to do with both environmental and mental factors).
Is psoriasis contagious?
Psoriasis is not contagious nor does it threaten public health in any way. It is caused by a more intense activity, an overreaction of it
immune system and not by a virus or bacterium. Affected people manifest it, do not stick it and do not transmit it in any way.
Factors that can trigger psoriasis
Although psoriasis is an endogenous condition (gene expression), it is still unknown exactly what triggers it. It is taken for granted that exogenous factors such as environmental and psychological are involved. Stress, stress, obesity, alcohol, smoking, some medications, overexposure to the sun, cold and dry weather and some viruses seem to contribute to its activation.
However, factors that in some people seem to affect its appearance, do not affect it in other people. That is why the precise determination of these factors is done individually in dialogue and collaboration with the dermatologist.
What does psoriasis have to do with scabies?
Nothing to do with. Scabies is a contagious skin disease caused by a parasite (mite). Psoriasis is a non-communicable autoimmune skin disease. The wrong correlation between the two diseases is due to the fact that they both concern the skin and the similar subject psor- in their name, which comes from the verb ψαω-ψω, which means: ψαύω, ψηλαφώ, τρίβω, ομαλύνω (ie I scratch the itchy spot).
What is the treatment for psoriasis?
“Psoriasis is a chronic disease with flares and relapses. Although changes in lifestyle and diet, better management of stress and several medications cause relief and remission of its symptoms, and recent biologics cause up to 100% remission, we can not talk about a definitive cure for psoriasis. “It is a chronic, non-life-threatening disease that sufferers are called upon to learn to live with,” explains the doctor.
Psoriasis is not one:
There are several types of psoriasis: psoriasis of the nails, psoriasis of the scalp, drip psoriasis, reverse psoriasis, blistering psoriasis and erythrodermic psoriasis.
Biological drugs
Biomedical drugs (which began to be developed in the early 1960s) are one of the most important achievements of medicine in the field of treatment. The development of highly effective biologics over the last thirty years has revolutionized the treatment of both moderate and severe psoriasis.
Today, new generation biologics are available. These have a selective action, targeting certain substances known as cytokines (mainly interleukin-17 and interleukin-23). Thanks to this action they show reduced toxicity, allow better tolerance and increase the effectiveness of psoriasis treatment compared to even the first generation biological drugs. By intervening in this way in the immune processes they can cause up to 100% remission of the symptoms of psoriasis with greater safety than any other treatment.
Two important steps in treating psoriasis
“Accepting psoriasis is the first step in treating it. This is the key to finding the right treatment for you. But just as the same factors do not trigger psoriasis in the same way in all individuals, so the same treatments do not work in the same way in all individuals. Therefore, the second important step for its treatment is the help that you will give to your dermatologist for the adjustment of the treatment, describing its effects on you “, concludes Mr. Mileounis.
Writes:
K. Konstantinos Mileounis, Director Dermatologist-Venereologist at Metropolitan Hospital
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