Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin characterized by the appearance of reddish, scaly lesions, preferably on the elbows, knees and scalp, and which can affect nails and joints. It is not a contagious or hereditary disease, and, although there is a genetic predisposition in people who suffer from it, other triggering factors are usually involved.
It originates due to a dysfunction in the immune system and can appear in any part of the body. It manifests itself in outbreaks with periods of improvement and remission or worsening, but the disease develops in a particular way in each patient. Sometimes it lasts a lifetime. Although it is not life-threatening, according to the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV), this disease has significant repercussions in the patient's physical, emotional, sexual, labor and economic spheres, and significantly reduces their quality of life, with an impact similar to that of diabetes, arthritis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
What types of psoriasis are there? Psoriasis has various clinical forms, according to the Spanish Society of Rheumatology (SER):
Psoriasis vulgaris (in plaques). It is the most frequent. 90% of affected adults have this variant, which is characterized by the presence of very well-defined, reddish, scaly plaques that are usually distributed symmetrically over the body. Generally, these plaques do not cause symptoms, although they can be a little itchy. The scalp, elbows, knees and sacral region are often the most affected areas. The genitals are affected in up to 30% of cases. Plaques can persist for months or years in the same locations. Small lesions may coalesce to form large plaques with geographic borders or clear in the center, adopting an annular morphology.
Guttate psoriasis. In general, it is very rare, but it is the most common form of presentation in children and adolescents (between 44% and 95% of child patients suffer from it). It is characterized by numerous small plaques (between 0.5 and 1.5 centimeters) that appear mainly on the trunk and near the extremities, although it does not usually affect the soles and feet. It usually appears in the form of outbreaks after certain infections. In children, the lesions usually regress spontaneously in weeks or months, while this type of psoriasis tends to become chronic in adults.
Erythrodermic psoriasis. It is characterized by the appearance, gradually or acutely, of an erythema or reddening of the skin that affects more than 90% of the body surface. There are severe cases that are associated with general symptoms. The most frequent complication is infection.
Pustular variants. They are variants of psoriasis in which pustules visible to the naked eye form (palmoplantar pustulosis, acrodermatitis pustulosa, generalized pustular psoriasis, and gestational or pregnancy psoriasis).
Who gets psoriasis? Psoriasis is a pathology of universal distribution that affects between 1% and 3% of the population, according to estimates from official studies. Although there is no predominance of sex -it affects men and women equally-, it is more common in the white race. It usually appears between the ages of 15 and 35, although it can also affect children and the elderly. What are your causes? Psoriasis is an immune disease that, although not hereditary, does have a genetic component.
The disease begins when T lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that helps protect the body against infection, become inappropriately activated. This triggers various immune responses, including the proliferation and dilation of blood vessels in the skin and the proliferation of a type of skin cell called keratinocytes. Consequently, the cell renewal process of the epidermis is accelerated, which from thirty days (which is usual) happens in only four, which causes the cells to rise too quickly to the surface of the skin and accumulate in the horny layer, where plates of whitish scales are formed. Recommended products for your treatment.
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