According to WHO experts, psoriasis affects 2 to 4% of the world's population. The characteristic of the disease is that only the representatives of the white race suffer from psoriasis. Determining the causes and treatment of psoriasis is considered one of the priority tasks of modern medicine. Today, science has come a long way in these matters, but the causes of the disease are not yet fully understood, just as no ways have been found to completely cure this disease.
Causes of psoriasis
Physiologically, psoriasis is caused by too short a life cycle of skin cells. If this cycle is normally from 21 to 28 days, then in patients with psoriasis the cycle lasts only 3-6 days. This is what causes the formation of psoriatic plaques. The reason for this phenomenon is mostly discussed among experts. While some believe that psoriasis is a disease caused by hereditary factors, others believe that the disease occurs as a result of defects in the immune system, which are a direct consequence of a whole set of different external factors.
Today, a multifactorial theory prevails among doctors that explains the origin of psoriasis for the following reasons:
- Heredity;
- Immune system disorders due to:
- Delayed infectious diseases;
- Improper diet;
- Alcohol abuse;
- Adverse climatic conditions.
However, absolutely all experts agree on one thing, psoriasis is not a contagious disease and it is impossible to "catch" it on the street like the flu or sore throat.
Symptoms of psoriasis
Today, doctors consider psoriasis a systemic pathology, ie it is common to talk about psoriasis as a pathology of complex effects.
The first signs of psoriasis are thought to be:
- Constant feeling of general weakness;
- Feeling tired;
- Frequent depression and depression.
These symptoms should be alarming. However, the clinical symptoms of psoriasis are manifested in skin lesions. In the case of psoriasis, these are most often psoriatic plaques that suddenly appear on the patient's body. They may be small at first (a few millimeters), but can grow significantly over time (up to 10 centimeters in diameter).
By the nature of the rash, psoriasis is usually divided into:
- Spot (the diameter of the plaques is small, does not exceed the diameter of the match head);
- Drop-shaped, lens-sized, but drop-shaped;
- Round plates in the shape of coins, which resemble a coin up to 5 millimeters in diameter.
The characteristic of psoriasis is the formation of scales on plaques, which are very easy to remove. This is due to the fact that they are formed by keratinized epidermal cells. The shell first forms in the center of the plaque, and later spreads to the edges. Sometimes a pink ring forms around the plaque, which indicates the growth of the plaque itself. When the scales are removed, a smooth shiny surface of the skin remains, which has a pink color, due to the proximity of the position of blood vessels (capillaries).
Classification of psoriasis, what does psoriasis look like (photo)
In most cases, doctors deal with common (vulgar) psoriasis. However, in about 10% of cases, the manifestations of psoriasis have other external signs, which can be clearly seen in the photo.
According to the external manifestations of psoriasis, it is common to distinguish the following forms:
- Vulgar (common) psoriasis. It starts with a rash of small papules the size of a match to a pea. Peeling occurs on these papules, and the papule turns into a typical psoriatic plaque. As a rule, plaques have well-defined boundaries, which allows them to be clearly visualized in relation to healthy skin. Plaque may itch. If the patient tries to remove the papule or plaque, desquamation is observed. Once the scale is removed, a smooth, shiny surface is revealed. If you continue to scrape, drops of blood, so-called "bloody dew", appear very quickly;
- Psoriatic erythroderma. This extremely unpleasant disease as a form of psoriasis occurs in about 2% of patients with this disease. Erythroderma is manifested in the form of severe itching, diffuse redness of the skin, as well as lamellar peeling. Psoriatic erythroderma is often associated with generalized pustular psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Often, infections such as streptococcal infections complicate the course of the disease. Sometimes erythroderma manifests itself spontaneously in the first phase of psoriasis. In some cases, erythroderma develops as a result of improper treatment of psoriasis;
- Pustular psoriasis. This form of the disease is characterized by the formation of pustules resembling small abscesses. With flow, this form of psoriasis can be generalized and localized. In the localized form, pustules are located in the area of the soles and palms. In the generalized form, the patient has an increase in body temperature and signs of intoxication of the body. This form of psoriasis is very dangerous and can even be fatal;
- Psoriatic arthritis. Many experts distinguish it as an independent autoimmune disease. It appears in the form of an inflammatory process in the joints and muscles of the patient;
- Nail plate psoriasis. In some cases, common psoriasis affects the nail plate, and then there is talk of nail psoriasis. Defeat of the nail plate by psoriasis is very similar to a fungal infection. As a result of the disease, the nail plate can be deformed and even disappear completely in the end.
Treatment of psoriasis
Modern medicine does not yet have in its arsenal of means that could completely cure psoriasis, it still does not have enough knowledge about the causes and characteristics of the course of the disease. However, in the arsenal of doctors there are a number of drugs that can significantly alleviate the manifestations of psoriasis and transfer it from the acute phase to prolonged remission. When treating psoriasis, the doctor takes into account the age, gender, lifestyle, health status of the patient and only taking into account all these factors chooses the treatment strategy.
Very often the treatment of psoriasis begins with external therapy. This includes:
- Salicylic ointment, which is used when the disease progresses;
- Hormonal drugs prescribed if salicylic ointment is useless;
- Creams containing ditronal. They have anti-inflammatory action and help to quickly eliminate the symptoms of psoriasis.
But not always the means of external therapy bring the desired result. Then different treatment tactics are chosen, and a systematic approach is considered one of the most effective methods today.
Traditional medicine in the treatment of psoriasis
There are a huge number of traditional medicine recipes for psoriasis. Many of them really help in treating this disease. But do not overestimate the possibilities of such recipes, because traditional medicine can be used as an adjunct therapy, but in no case as a means of primary treatment.
Probably the most common traditional remedy for psoriasis is celandine. Unfortunately, this method can be treated only in the summer, when it is not a problem to find celandine. The essence of the method is in the action of plant juice on plaques. It is enough to simply break the stem and direct the drops of juice to this fracture on the skin affected by psoriasis. This should be done every day for three months. The maximum effect of treatment is believed to occur in the third year of treatment.
In second place in popularity is birch tar, which is simply smeared on the affected area for one hour. According to another method, after such application of tar, the use of celandine juice is recommended. The course of treatment in the first and second case is 15 days.
Egg-based ointment is considered very popular in the treatment of psoriasis. To prepare, take two raw eggs and mix them with sunflower (olive) oil and whisk. Then add half a tablespoon of vinegar to the resulting mixture. The affected areas are smeared with the mixture once a day. The mixture itself is stored in a dark and cool place.
It helps very well with the worsening of psoriasis and a bath to which a decoction of walnut shell is added. For one bath it is necessary to cook the shells of half a kilogram of nuts. The bath is taken no more than 15-20 minutes at a temperature not exceeding 37 degrees. It is recommended to take ten baths with breaks in one day.
Diet for psoriasis
According to many experts, proper nutrition in psoriasis is extremely important in order to avoid longer periods of worsening of the disease. It is believed that the essence of the diet is in maintaining the acid-base balance according to the alkaline component. So, 70-80% of the product should be alkaline, and only 20-25 acidic.
Those that produce alkalis include:
- Fruit (except black and red currants, cranberries, prunes, plums and grapes);
- Vegetables (except legumes, Brussels sprouts, pumpkins, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant).
It usually refers to products that produce acids:
- starch;
- Cheese;
- Sugar;
- Meat
- Butter;
- Cream.
Therefore, the diet of a patient with psoriasis should include:
- Water (at least 2 liters per day);
- Fresh fruit steamed (canned fruit is not desirable). Apples, dates, figs, apricots, oranges, peaches, raisins are recommended;
- Vegetables, also fresh or steamed. Recommended beets, cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, celery, spinach, zucchini, watercress, cabbage.
- Cereals (in small quantities). Buckwheat, wheat, barley, millet porridge, as well as bakery products made of rice and corn flour are recommended;
- Lean fish, four times a week;
- Poultry (chicken), two to three times a week. It is allowed to give sick young mutton once a week;
- Milk (best skimmed);
- Soft-boiled eggs, two to three times a week;
- Vegetable oil in the amount of 3 teaspoons per day.
Prophylaxis
And although there is no way to prevent psoriasis, there are ways to significantly reduce its manifestations and maximize the remission phase.
For this you need:
- Take care of your skin and keep it moist;
- Excessive exposure to cold or hot air should be avoided;
- Minimize the possibility of injury to the skin surface;
- Give up alcohol and tobacco;
- All diseases are caused by nerves, so it is necessary to minimize the effects of stress and try to be in harmony with yourself and the world around you.