Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease that causes rapid buildup of skin cells into patches of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple in color and can have a silvery scale. Sometimes they feel dry or itchy, although not always. Psoriasis ranges from mild to severe, with people having anywhere from small, localized patches to complete body coverage.
Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease, which results when the immune system gets misdirected and overactive, causing it to attack and damage your own body rather than a foreign infection. Most autoimmune diseases affect multiple parts of the body, and psoriasis is no exception. People with psoriasis are known to be more prone to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and depression. However, the big thing that people with skin psoriasis need to monitor for is joint disease. Psoriatic arthritis is found in ~30% of all psoriasis skin patients. There are several forms of arthritis, and any joint can be affected. Just as with the skin, symptoms can come and go in flares, with joint stiffness, swelling, pain, or redness.
Types of Psoriasis
There are numerous types of psoriasis, each with its own appearance and typical body locations:
Plaque psoriasis: This is the most common type of psoriasis. Patients have pink or purplish areas of raised skin covered with silvery scale. It is usually dry, and sometimes itchy.
Nail psoriasis: Psoriasis can affect any or all of the nails. It causes discoloration, pitting, shape changes, and/or lifting up of the nail. Fingernails are more commonly affected than toenails. Nail changes may also be an indicator of underlying psoriatic arthritis, so make sure you talk to your dermatologist about any joint swelling or stiffness you so that we can get you connected to a rheumatologist if necessary.
Guttate psoriasis: small, red, scaly, teardrop shaped spots with silvery scales appear on the arms, legs and middle of the body.
Inverse psoriasis: The psoriasis rash develops in the skin folds of the body, essentially in areas where the skin rubs against each other. Such locations include the groin, underarms, buttocks, and under-breasts.
Pustular psoriasis: Yellow pustules on an erythematous (red) base with a variety of distribution patterns. The pustules are not infectious.
Palmoplantar Psoriasis: patches of scaly, discolored skin on the palms and/or soles that can be flaky, itchy, or pustular. It often causes fissures and tissue hardening, which makes it difficult to walk or use your hands
Erythrodermic psoriasis: Dangerous scaly red rash that develops over most of the body, resembling a burn, that can cause chills, fever, and dehydration. Like a burn, it is potentially life threatening because of the body’s inability to regulate body temperature, fluid and protein loss, and prevent infection with such a compromised skin barrier. Heart, kidney, and other organ failure is a risk. Fortunately, this is a rare form of psoriasis.
Treatment for Psoriasis
There are several treatments for psoriasis depending on your specific condition, the severity of it, and whether or not your joints are involved. Topical therapies, oral medication, light treatments, and biologic injectable medications are all part of the armamentarium. Often a combination of treatments is used. It’s always recommended to keep a healthy lifestyle with a good diet, exercise, and minimizing stress as much as possible.
