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What is psoriasis: causes, symptoms and treatment

In the past few decades, dermatology has increasingly begun to deal with cases of psoriatic dermatitis. Statistics show that most of these cases affect people with fair skin. Although experts still do not set an age limit for the widespread disease, the most active stages of the disease are recorded precisely between the ages of 15 and 45. In terms of prevalence, psoriasis can now affect one in every 25 people on the planet, which is about 4. 2% of the total world population, according to WHO (World Health Organization) 2016 data.

What is psoriasis and what are its external symptoms?

The name of such a wound was given due to its characteristic external sign - red plaques and scaly papules formed as a result of a rash accompanied by a feeling of itching and inflammation of the skin. Psoriasis is also called scaly lichen and has a fairly wide classification of types, symptoms, causes that provoke the onset, progression and exacerbation of the disease. Today, the general picture of the pathology is such that it does not give doctors a clear idea about its unambiguous origin and methods of treatment. Therefore, doctors should find ways of partial recovery together with the patient.

Today, the definition of psoriasis is accepted by all specialists as a non-infectious disease of various causes, which must be treated carefully, extremely carefully, under the constant supervision of not only one dermatologist, but several specialists. The word psoriasis itself means "itching" (from the Greek word "psora"), "itching" (also spelled "psora" in English). The diagnosis of the disease is carried out comprehensively, not only with skin tests or blood tests.

Additional information:The specificity of the disease, which has not been fully studied, is that patients should prepare for continuous, continuous and long-term recovery, as well as periodic exacerbations alternating with remissions, stages of relief lasting from several weeks to several weeks. years.

Classification of psoriasis types

Skin rashes characteristic of various types of psoriasis

When specialists want to determine exactly what psoriasis is in a sick patient, what is this rash on his skin and the unbearable desire to constantly scratch the wounds, what kind of disease the disease belongs to, what the patient is suffering from, then specialists can focus on a disease. special classification of diseases. Moreover, he is not alone, today there are at least four of them, which should be briefly reviewed for an overview.

According to ICD-10

According to the International Classification of Diseases in the 10th revision, such dermatitis is divided into the following types:

  1. As usual or as a board. Spread - 90-95%. Manifestations - papulo-scaly structures of gray, white, pink color. As they grow, all the "islands" and "lakes" of the diseased skin are formed.
  2. Generalized pustular or "Impetigo", "Tsumbusha" disease, exudative. It starts with blisters and blisters with fluid (exudate). Ulcers and self-infection occur after the eruption.
  3. Persistent or Allopo epidermal disorder, Setton or Crocker acrodermal disorder. Liquid or pustular formations in plaques and papules are sterile and do not have widespread self-contamination. Fingernails and toes are often affected.
  4. Palmar and plantar injuries. Small wounds on the palms and soles of the feet that are not self-infecting. It makes it very difficult for the patient to have quality of life while walking and working with their hands.
  5. it is in the form of a teardrop. Small purple, pink, gray spots on the body most often appear after severe sore throat, streptococcal, pharyngitis and other infectious viral diseases.
  6. Arthropathic appearance. Damage to the joints of fingers, hands, knees, lower legs. Prevalence - 10% of all psoriatic patients.
  7. Other, opposite and unspecified. Smooth spots with a low percentage of flaking visible on delicate areas of the skin.

According to this classification, which reveals what this or that type means, what the disease is, the essence of what psoriasis is, pathology is given a special code - L40. Different numbers can be added to this code to indicate a specific type of disease.

According to clinical parameters

The disease can also be classified according to clinical criteria expressed as:

  • by location - body parts are determined;
  • according to clinical pictures - the nature and texture of psoriasis;
  • with progressive stages - progressive, stationary, regressive disease;
  • according to manifestations in a certain season;
  • according to skin areas - less than 20% of the epidermis, more than 20% or the entire skin is affected.

According to the American classification

The US National Foundation classifies psoriasis in the following order:

  • light skin lesions - less than 2%;
  • the average severity of the spread - from 2% to 10%;
  • severe stage of skin damage - 10% and above.

According to the PASI index

Another international approach to determining psoriasis, which is in the arsenal of medical diagnosticians, divides the types of the disease according to the following principle:

  • The presence of the PASI index ranges from 0 to 72;
  • the index indicates the severity of dermatitis;
  • Only specialists calculate the index.

When determining the type of disease, doctors can use any of these classifications, but experience shows that the most actively used is the ICD-10 system. Without a precise definition of the type, it will be difficult for doctors to understand what type of psoriasis it is and how to treat it.

A mandatory symptom of psoriasis is plaques with scales on the skin

General symptoms

All doctors and researchers are convinced that psoriasis is not contagious and cannot be transferred from an affected person to a healthy person. Characteristic pustular-scaly rashes, if their formation was initially a swelling with fluid, called papules, then burst, causing an ulcer, drying the cover and scales. "Papula" from Lat. means "knot". But if the redness is not watery, if the swelling above the surface of the skin is compressed, then if it turns into wounds from constant scratches, pus and the formation of scales, then we are talking about plaques.

Note!The disease psoriasis is something that will always have scaly formations on the surface of the affected skin. "Squama" from Lat. means "scales", so the diagnosis can be written on the line on the examination sheet: "papulosquamous disorder of the epidermis".

Symptoms of psoriasis

When determining psoriasis, we pay attention to its symptoms, which can be represented by a single list of the following manifestations:

  1. Papules are swellings above the surface of the skin that contain an infectious or sterile fluid.
  2. Plaques are red spots that grow and fester over time.
  3. The plaques can be gray, reddish, yellowish or purple with dots.
  4. The texture of the surface of the diseased skin varies from wet, pustular, to dry with scales.
  5. Scaling and flaking are characteristic of all types of the disease.
  6. The general condition of the patient varies from irritability, nervousness, drowsiness, fatigue and apathy.

Stages and degrees of development of psoriasis

Stages can tell the doctor not only the characteristics of psoriasis and its types, but also how to cope with the disease. It is usually divided into 3 stages.

Weak phase

  • papules and plaques are rare and solitary;
  • no unbearable itching;
  • No severe swelling yet;
  • often manifests itself after stress or severe infection.

Intensive stage

  • Koebner syndromes are defined as;
  • lesions appear unexpectedly in different parts of the human body;
  • fusion and growth of papules and plaques into all "paraffin lakes";
  • pain and itching are characteristic during this period.

Aggravation of the disease

  • forms scales;
  • dry skin;
  • lesional rashes no longer grow;
  • scales fall;
  • the skin hurts;
  • the thickness of the skin where the plaques are located increases.

For reference:remission is a separate stage and is considered as a relaxation of the pathological condition.

Reasons that provoke the appearance of the disease

Although the answers to the questions of what kind of disease psoriatic dermatitis is and what are the causes of its appearance have not been found, certain conditions that can naturally provoke the onset of the disease are indicated.

Such examples indicate the following possible causes:

  1. Hereditary tendency.
  2. Weak immune system.
  3. Recently, he suffered severe psychological trauma, infection, virus.
  4. Side effects of drugs.
  5. A sharp change in the climatic conditions for living.
  6. Allergies in humans.
  7. Imbalance of the gastrointestinal tract, endocrine, excretory, cleansing systems.
  8. Slow metabolism (metabolism) due to a sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition, sleep and wakefulness.

It is important!The wound can also appear after severe sunburn, continuous rubbing of synthetic clothing on skin-folding areas of the body. Even excessive consumption of low-quality food (lots of chemicals, preservatives, food synthetics), alcohol, drugs (toxic substances) or tobacco can contribute to flare-ups. All this was recorded by way of exception - for example, when the patient was deprived of bad habits, his condition improved.

Psoriasis diagnosis begins with an external examination by a dermatologist

Psoriasis diagnosis - what is it?

If people who ask what psoriasis is and which doctors they should consult, if they have already discovered similar symptoms in themselves or in their relatives, friends, they should first consult a dermatologist. After that, an exam will be set that can involve a number of other highly qualified specialists:

  • histologists - in this case, the study of blood cells;
  • immunologists - to determine the cause of the weak resistance of the body to viruses;
  • endocrinologists - when there is suspicion of disturbances in hormonal levels and the work of the endocrine system;
  • specialists in infectious diseases - who detect the presence of infections or viruses in the human body;
  • nutritionists who will determine the correct diet for the patient and other specialists.

Diagnostics is carried out using the following mechanisms and methods:

  1. External examination of the affected areas of the skin.
  2. A blood test will show if the joints are affected by the disease.
  3. A biopsy reveals the stage and the diagnosis (diagnosis of a particular type of disease).

When determining a specific type of psoriasis, only the Internet does not help. Moreover, encyclopedic reference books are usually filled by any Internet user, both knowledgeable about the specifics of the disease and ordinary people.

Note!Biopsy is one of the main diagnostic procedures in which a piece of affected skin is taken for laboratory examination. Its results indicate which cells are strong and which are weak in T-lymphocytosis.

Difficulties in the life of patients with psoriasis

When a patient encounters psoriasis for the first time and does not know what disease has come to him, he tends to experience the following conditions that accompany the course of dermatitis:

  • depression;
  • inferiority complexes;
  • difficulties in the social sphere - people, due to ignorance, often believe that the disease is contagious and stop communicating with a sick person;
  • cardiovascular diseases - sometimes even a heart attack;
  • pressure imbalance - hypertension;
  • diabetes mellitus - type 2 is especially common;
  • you should limit yourself in food and drinks;
  • you need to adapt to an active lifestyle, it is extremely difficult to do this when your psychological mood is depressed;
  • physical discomfort - difficulty dressing, showering, bathing, moving arms, legs, sleeping, etc.

In the same way, all this affects patients who are not experiencing the disease for the first time, but they are already mentally prepared to face it and work hard to reduce its intensity.

For reference:remissions (stages of weakening of the disease) can last for several years only with a competent approach to therapy and the appointment of treatment courses, methods, methods.

Various procedures are performed to treat psoriasis.

Psoriasis treatment methods

When the doctors themselves do not fully know all the reasons for the exacerbation of the disease and how to eliminate all this forever, this also greatly affects the mood of the patient himself. But you have to convince yourself that if the disease cannot be cured, you can improve your quality of life in a few years. Therefore, psoriasis should be treated only with a complex approach of all the practices, methods and methods available in nature. Even doctors do not reject folk remedies, if only the patient discusses these or other methods with the doctor in advance.

Traditional methods

As soon as they determine the type of dermatitis - psoriasis is also dermatitis, what kind of disease it is, its type, doctors immediately start special procedures that have a positive effect in the end.

Treatment begins with the following procedures:

  1. Affected areas are disinfected to prevent self-infection.
  2. Forced elimination of inflammatory processes with drugs.
  3. Plaques need to be dissolved, and special drugs are prescribed for this.
  4. The same applies to scales - in order not to fall off painfully, they are softened with lotions, various softening ointments, tinctures, mixtures.
  5. Injections and tablets are prescribed - for example, an immunosuppressant that improves the psychophysical condition and restores the activity of the immune system.
  6. They use ultraviolet radiation, purify blood with plasmapheresis and other methods.
  7. Sanatorium spa treatments with mud and salt water. For example, resorts in Israel on the Dead Sea. The method is not cheap, it should take 28 days, but it is 100% effective.
  8. Taking salt and herbal baths.
  9. Special diet, exercise.

In addition to the above-mentioned methods, operations are also performed on the valve of the small intestine, which is responsible for cleaning the system. Usually, after such operations, patients feel better 5-6 years earlier.

It is important!The main drug will always be an antimetabolite of the group of structural analogs of folic acid, given to the body by intramuscular injection.

Traditional medicine for psoriasis

The disease can also be treated with traditional methods, as some plants, seeds and fruits have their own healing properties. This is a budget option for those who cannot afford trips to the resort. You can prepare medicinal baths for yourself at home, prepare various ointments using Kalanchoe, honey and other ingredients. Only the patient should always consult his doctor. Here you also need to follow a strict diet, sleep, work and physical activity.

Additional measures

Any attending doctor will always prohibit the patient from staying in the sun for more than 6 hours a day to take 2 sun baths. At the same time, the sun should not be at its zenith and should not burn strongly, otherwise you can only provoke burns and make the situation worse. In addition to sun exposure, psoriasis can also be temporarily treated by adding a special diet. The most common system now is the Pegano diet. In addition, you should eliminate all the usual whims, such as tobacco, alcohol, a lot of sweets and other hobbies.

Additional information:It is not recommended to go on a sudden diet. In addition, you should always remember your intestines, which should be helped by the presence of fiber and sunflower oil. Therefore, you can eat sunflower seeds, and you can also add various permitted fiber-rich foods to your meals.

5 preventive measures for people prone to psoriasis

So that a person does not have questions about psoriasis - what kind of disease it is and how to treat it, it is necessary to listen to a few recommendations of experts to protect yourself from such a disease as much as possible. Even if you are not prone to this type of disease, pay attention to this list of 5 basic recommendations:

  1. Protect yourself from various infections, dress warmly, don't get cold, create the most positive attitude in life.
  2. Be active, maintain a normal diet, sleep and wakefulness.
  3. Give up all bad habits or hobbies, such as baking and sweets, which contain a lot of sugar.
  4. Wear clothes made mainly of natural fibers.
  5. All pain relievers or other medications should be taken in consultation with a doctor and should not be self-medicated.

For reference:A slow metabolism leads not only to psoriasis, but also to obesity, liver disease, kidney disease, heart disease and other dysfunctions. Therefore, reducing carbohydrates in your menu, walking more in the fresh air and physical exercises will help everyone to always stay healthy!

There is still no complete cure for this disease, since certain cases of psoriatic diseases are recorded, experts are determining the causes. Therapy procedures are very long, long and difficult. The patient should not only make changes in his lifestyle, but also observe himself, keeping a diary in which he will record all his conditions. Therefore, any delay in contacting the doctors will aggravate the situation. It is better for patients not to torment themselves, to be afraid to show themselves to doctors, to start looking for a solution right away, rather than to build a problem like a snowball.