What is psoriasis: causes, symptoms and treatment

Over the past few decades, dermatology has increasingly begun to deal with cases of psoriatic dermatitis. Statisticians note that most often these cases affect people with fair skin. And although experts have not yet set an age limit for the rampant disease, nevertheless, the most active phases of the disease are recorded precisely at the age of 15 to 45 years. In terms of prevalence, psoriasis can now affect every 25 people on the planet, which in general, according to the WHO (World Health Organization) for 2016, is about 4. 2% of the total world population.

What kind of disease is psoriasis, and what external signs does it have?

The name of such a sore was given according to its characteristic external sign - red plaques and papules with scales, which are formed as a result of a rash accompanied by an itchy sensation and inflammation of the skin. The disease psoriasis is also called scaly lichen and has its own fairly extensive classification of types, symptoms, causes that provoke the onset, progress and exacerbation of the disease. The general picture of the pathology today is such that it does not give doctors a clear idea of its unambiguous origin and treatment methods. Therefore, doctors have to find ways of partial cure together with the patient.

The definition of what psoriasis is today is accepted by all specialists as a non-infectious disease that mainly appears for various reasons, and it must be treated carefully, extremely carefully, under the constant supervision of several specialists, and not just a dermatologist. The word psoriasis itself means "itching" (from the Greek term "psora"), "scabies" (from the English term, which is also written "psora"). Diagnosis of the disease is carried out comprehensively, not only by skin tests or blood tests.

Additional Information:The specificity of the disease, which has not been fully studied, is such that patients have to prepare for persistent, persistent and long-term healing, as well as alternating periodic exacerbations with remissions, stages of relief, which last from several weeks to several years.

Classification of types of psoriasis

When experts want to determine exactly psoriasis in a sick patient, what these rashes on his skin are and the unbearable desire to constantly scratch the sores, what type of illness the disorder belongs to, what the patient is suffering, then experts can focus on a special classification of diseases. Moreover, she is not alone, there are at least four of them today, which should be reviewed briefly for a general idea.

According to ICD-10

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

1. Ordinary or plaque-like. Prevalence – 90-95%. Manifestations – papulo-scaly structures of gray, white, pink hue. As they grow, entire "islands" and "lakes" of diseased skin are formed.
2. Generalized pustular or "Impetigo", "Tsumbusha" disease, exudative. It begins with blisters and blisters containing fluid (exudate). After bursting, ulcers and self-infection form.
3. Persistent or Allopo epidermal disorder, Setton's or Crocker's acrodermal disorder. The fluid or pustular formations in plaques and papules are sterile and do not have widespread self-contamination. Nails and fingers are often affected.
4. Palmar and plantar lesions. Small ulcers on the palms and soles of the feet that are not self-infecting. It makes it very difficult for the patient to have a quality of life when walking and working with their hands.
5. teardrop-shaped. Small purple, pink, gray dots on the body most often begin to appear after suffering a severe sore throat, streptococcus, pharyngitis and other infectious viral diseases.
6. Arthropathic appearance. Damage to the joints of the fingers, hands, knees, lower legs. Prevalence – 10% of all psoriatic patients.
7. Other, reverse and unspecified. Smooth patches with a low percentage of flaking that appear on delicate areas of the skin.

According to this classification, which reveals the essence of what this or that type means, what a disease is, what psoriasis is, the pathology is assigned a special code - L40. Different numbers may 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, which are expressed as follows:

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

According to American classification

The US National Foundation, when defining psoriasis, what kind of disease it is, its type, classifies it in the following order:

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

According to the PASI index

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

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

Doctors can use any of these classifications when determining the type of disease, but practice shows that it is the ICD-10 system that is most actively used. Without an accurate definition of the type, it will be difficult for doctors to understand what kind of disease psoriasis is and how to treat it.

General symptoms

All doctors and research scientists are confident that psoriasis is not a contagious phenomenon, and it cannot be transmitted from an affected person to a healthy one. Characteristic pustular-scaly rashes are called papules if their formation was initially a swelling with liquid, which then burst, leading to a wound, drying out of the cover and scales. "Papula" from lat. means "knot". But if the redness was not watery, their swellings above the surface of the skin were compacted, then they turned into wounds from constant scratching, suppuration and the formation of scales, then we are talking about plaques.

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

Symptoms of psoriasis

When defining psoriasis, we focus on its symptoms, which can be represented by the following unified list of manifestations:

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

Stages and degrees of development of psoriasis

The stages show not only the characteristics of what kind of disease psoriasis is and its types, but can also tell the doctor how to cope with the disease. Usually divided into 3 stages.

Weak stage

• papules and plaques are rare and solitary;
• there is no unbearable itching;
• There is no severe swelling yet;
• often shows after suffering stress or severe infection.

Intensive stage

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

Exacerbation of the disease

• scales form;
• dry skin;
• lesional rashes no longer grow;
• scales fall off;
• 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 calming of the pathological condition.

Causes that provoke the appearance of the disease

Despite the fact that no answers have been found to the questions of what kind of disease psoriatic dermatitis is, what are the reasons for its appearance, nevertheless, certain prerequisites are naturally already being shown that can provoke the onset of the disease.

Such patterns show the following probable reasons:

1. Inherited predisposition.
2. Weak immune system.
3. Recently experienced severe psychological trauma, exposure to infection, virus.
4. Side effects from medications.
5. A sharp change in 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 diet, sleep, and wakefulness.

Important!The sore can come out even after a severe sunburn, constant friction of synthetic clothing fabrics in areas of the body where the skin folds. Even excessive consumption of low-quality food (with an abundance of chemicals, preservatives, food synthetics), alcohol, drugs (toxic substances) or tobacco can affect an exacerbation. All this was recorded by the method of exclusion - for example, when the patient was restricted from bad habits, his condition improved.

Diagnosis of psoriasis – what is it?

If people asking about psoriasis, what it is and what doctors they should contact, have already discovered similar symptoms in themselves, or their loved ones, friends, then first of all they should contact a dermatologist. After this, an examination will be scheduled, which can involve a number of other highly specialized specialists:

• histologists - studying blood cells in this case;
• immunologists - identifying the cause of the body’s weakened resistance to viruses;
• endocrinologists - if there is a suspicion of disruptions in hormonal levels and the functioning of the endocrine system;
• infectious disease specialists – detecting the presence of infections or viruses in the human body;
• nutritionists who will determine proper nutrition for the patient and other specialists.

Diagnostics is carried out using the following mechanisms and techniques:

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

When determining the specific type of psoriasis, the Internet alone is not a help. Moreover, encyclopedic reference books are usually filled out by any Internet users, both knowledgeable about the specifics of the disease and laymen.

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

Difficulties in the life of patients with psoriasis

When a patient first encounters psoriasis and does not know what kind of 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, out of ignorance, often believe that the disease is contagious and stop communicating with the sick person;
• cardiovascular disorders - sometimes even heart attacks;
• pressure imbalance – hypertension;
• diabetes mellitus – type 2 is especially common;
• you have to limit yourself in food and drinks;
• you need to adapt to an active lifestyle, which is extremely difficult to do when your psychological mood is depressed;
• physical discomfort - difficulty wearing clothes, bathing in the shower, bathing, moving your arms, legs, sleeping, etc.

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

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

Methods for treating psoriasis

When doctors themselves do not fully know all the reasons for the exacerbation of the disease, and how all this can be eliminated forever, this also greatly affects the mood of the patient himself. But you just need to convince yourself that if the disease cannot be cured, then you can improve your quality of life for several years. Therefore, psoriasis must be healed only with an integrated approach of all practices, methods and methods that are available in nature. Even doctors do not disdain folk remedies, if only the patient discusses one method or another 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 begin specific procedures that supposedly give a positive effect at the end.

Treatment begins with the following procedures:

1. Affected areas are disinfected to prevent self-infection.
2. Mandatory relief of inflammatory processes with medications.
3. Plaques need to be resolved, and special medications are prescribed for this.
4. The same applies to the scales - so that they do not fall off painfully, they are softened with lotions, applications with various softening ointments, tinctures, mixtures.
5. Injections and tablets are prescribed - for example, an immunosuppressant, which restores the functioning of the immune system along with improving the psychophysical condition.
6. They use irradiation with ultraviolet rays, purify the blood using plasmapheresis and other methods.
7. Sanatorium-resort treatments with mud and salt water. For example, resorts in Israel on the Dead Sea. The method is not cheap, it must take 28 days, but it is 100% effective.
8. Taking salt and herbal baths.
9. Special diet, exercise.

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

Important!The base drug will always be an antimetabolite of the group of structural analogues of folic acid, which is supplied to the body by intramuscular injection.

Traditional medicine for psoriasis

The disease can also be treated using traditional methods, because some plants, seeds, and fruits have their own medicinal properties. This is a budget option for those who cannot take advantage of trips to the resort. At home, you can prepare medicinal baths for yourself, make various ointments using Kalanchoe, honey and other compounds. Only the patient should always first consult with his doctor. Here you must also follow a strict diet, sleep, work, and physical activity.

Additional measures

Any attending physician will always prohibit the patient from being in the sun for more than 6 hours a day for 2 sunbathing sessions. At the same time, the sun should not be at its zenith and burn strongly, otherwise you can only provoke burns and worsen the condition. In addition to sun exposure, psoriasis can also be cured temporarily by adding a special diet. The most common system now is the Pegano diet. In addition, you should remove all the usual whims, such as tobacco, alcohol, an abundance of sweets and other hobbies.

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

5 preventive measures for people predisposed to psoriasis

So that a person does not have questions about psoriasis - what kind of disease it is and how to treat it, one should also listen to several recommendations from experts on how to protect oneself as much as possible from such a disease. Pay attention to this list of 5 basic recommendations, even if you have no predisposition to this type of disease:

1. Protect yourself from various infections, dress warmly, don’t catch a cold, create the most positive attitude in life.
2. Move actively, maintain a normal diet, sleep and wakefulness.
3. Give up all bad habits or hobbies like baking, sweets, which contain a lot of sugar.
4. Wear clothes primarily made from natural fiber fabrics.
5. All painkillers or other medications should be taken in consultation with a doctor and not self-medicated.

For reference:metabolism at a slow pace leads not only to psoriasis, but also to obesity, liver disease, kidney disease, heart disease and other dysfunctions. Therefore, reducing carbohydrates in your menu, more walks in the fresh air, and physical exercise will help anyone always stay healthy!

There is no complete cure for this disease yet; specialists are identifying the causes as certain cases of psoriatic disorders are registered. Therapy procedures are very lengthy, long and difficult. The patient will need not only a change in lifestyle, but also self-observation along with keeping his diary, where he will record all his conditions. Therefore, any delay in contacting doctors will only aggravate the situation. Patients should not torment themselves like that, be afraid to show themselves to doctors, it is better to immediately start looking for a solution to the problem than to build it up like a snowball.