Psoriasis- one of the most common and
mysterious skin diseases. The name psoriasis comes from the Greek word psoriasis, meaning itching, scabies.
"Roses of the Devil"- this is how a disease characterized by skin peeling was called in old age.
At the time of Hippocrates, the term "psora" was introduced, this term was used to denote a group of skin diseases accompanied by scaling, dryness and itching.
The famous Greek physician Claudius Galen, at the beginning of our era, was the first to use the term "psoriasis" to refer to scaly skin changes with severe itching, but this disease had nothing to do with psoriasis.
In the old days, psoriasis was on a par with leprosy, scabies and vitiligo, and people suffering from these diseases were obliged to wear a special suit, a rattle or a bell.
In the early 19th century, English physician Willlen and his students distinguished between psoriasis and leprosy.
In the future, the science of dermatology was enriched with new information about the causes of the disease (metabolic disorders, immunological changes in the body, viral nature, environmental distress, genetic predisposition, etc. ), but the exact causes of the disease remain a mystery.
During the entire existence of the Earth, 5. 5 billion people fell ill with psoriasis.
It is believed that psoriasis is "God's mark" for people of special artistic talent.
Among people suffering from psoriasis, there are many successful and great personalities, for example, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Ford, Winston Churchill, John Rockefeller
Blacks suffer from psoriasis much less often than whites. Drinking green tea reduces the risk of psoriasis. The risk of developing psoriasis in women who smoke is 78% higher than among non-smokers. Often, during pregnancy, psoriasis goes away without treatment. During World War II, the number of patients with psoriasis. In September 2009, a fashion show was held for the first time in the United States especially for psoriasis patients.
In the entire history of mankind, there has not been a single case of psoriasis transfer from a sick person to a healthy one, even with a blood transfusion.
Causes of the disease
Psoriasis is considered a multifactorial disease. This means that psoriasis appears suddenly, by coincidence of certain circumstances. Despite many years of research, scientists still have not been able to find out the exact causes of the development of the disease, but there are many hypotheses.
- heredity (although the presence of a person suffering from psoriasis in the family does not always mean that his descendants will be sick);
- nervous stress (especially during adolescence) provokes an exacerbation of the disease;
- nutrition (abuse of fatty, salted food, citrus fruits, chocolate, is directly associated with the onset of psoriasis);
- weakened immunity - long-term drug therapy, frequent colds, other diseases that lower immunity, affect the condition of the skin, provoking the development of psoriasis;
- lack of vitamins and minerals;
- violation of metabolic processes.
And much more "Every person has their own psoriasis with its own causes. "
Symptoms of the disease
People under 30 years old, regardless of gender, are most susceptible to this disease. The first symptoms of the disease are small, scattered nodules reddish or pink, covered with silvery-white scales on top, when scraped under them, a reddish surface with small droplets of protruding blood ("blood dew") is exposed. As psoriasis develops, the nodules grow, merging with each other, covering an ever larger surface of the skin. The patient feels constant itching of the affected areas, combs them, and after intensive scratching, psoriatic "plaques" form - areas of dense, thickened, irritated skin.
The areas of psoriasis on the skin are endless, but most often the elbows, knees, extensor surfaces of the arms and legs, and the scalp are affected. Sometimes the disease completely recedes, then suddenly returns, sometimes the patient's condition improves (more often in summer), sometimes worsens (more often in winter), in general, sheer unpredictability.
Psoriasis does not make a person physically disabled, but it inflicts a crushing blow on the patient's psyche, depriving him of adequate communication with others.
If you have psoriasis . . .
- Make sure the rash is actually psoriasis.
- Do not panic.
- Try to analyze the events preceding the onset of the disease, in the future it will help you to avoid repeated exacerbations.
- Self-medication is dangerous!
- Do not be fooled by the expensive treatment, each psoriasis has its own method of treatment.
- Do not delve into the disease, drive away anxiety, tune in to a favorable outcome. Your attitude is the first assistant in the victory over the disease.
Forms of psoriasis
Psoriasis of the scalp. Well-defined, pale pink, scaly patches appear on the scalp, and hair never falls out (hair loss in a limited area of the skin indicates another condition, such as ringworm).
Psoriasis of nails(psoriatic onychodystrophy). The nails of the hands and feet are affected. It is characterized by discoloration of the nail plate and nail bed, the appearance of dots, spots, transverse lines, thickening of the skin under the nails, thickening and stratification of the plate, up to the complete loss of the nail plates.
Palmar-plantar psoriasis. Papules appear on the surface of the palms and soles, usually combined with psoriasis of the nails (to be distinguished from fungal diseases).
Guttate psoriasis.It is characterized by the appearance on the patient's skin of a large number of small circles raised above the surface of healthy skin, red or purple (up to purple), very dry, similar in shape to drops, tears or small dots. It occurs mainly on the thighs.
Exudative psoriasis.The scales on the surface of the papules acquire a yellow tint, become multi-layered, stick together. When such a papule is scraped off, the moist, bright pink surface of the skin is exposed.
Pustular psoriasis.Small bubbles with purulent contents appear on various parts of the skin, the general condition of the patient worsens, and the body temperature rises.
Psoriatic erythroderma.The defeat of large areas of the skin (sometimes on the entire surface of the body), the inflammation is pronounced, the color of the skin is bright pink, the patient feels a strong, unbearable itching and deterioration of the general condition.
Arthropathic psoriasis.Not only the skin is affected, but also small joints (hands, feet). When moving, pain appears in the joints, the joints are limited in movement, edematous.
Isomphoric psoriasis or Koebner's phenomenon.This form of the disease develops at the site of a physical injury to the skin (scratches, surgical wounds, sunburn).
Plaque psoriasis.At the onset of the disease, red, clearly limited, scaly papules appear, which merge during the progression of the disease, forming stable round or oval plaques of a dark red color.
Inverse (intertriginous) psoriasis.An unusual shape that occurs under the mammary glands and in the groin area. The plaques are smooth, red, with clear boundaries and superficial maceration.
Erythrodermic psoriasis.Severe form, the surface of the skin is red, painful, the patient has a high fever, chills.
Complications of psoriasis
Psoriasis- this is not only a skin disease, it is unambiguously clear that psoriasis is a systemic disease that affects not only the skin, but almost all body systems, therefore, against the background of psoriasis in humans, the following disorders occur:
- psoriatic arthritis;
- degeneration of the nail plates;
- damage to the mucous membranes (mouth, gastrointestinal tract, urethra, bladder, etc. );
- eye damage;
- violations in the liver;
- organic disorders of the central nervous system;
- heart damage (myocarditis, myocardial dystrophy, etc. );
- amyotrophy;
- lymphadenopathy.
Features of psoriasis in children
As a rule, psoriasis in children develops at the age of 4-8 years, its appearance is often associated with an infectious disease (tonsillitis, chickenpox, etc. ), stress, skin trauma, etc. It manifests itself primarily on the scalp, as well as the skin of the face and groin area. The most common in childhood is the teardrop form and exudative form of psoriasis.
Psoriasis treatment
Since it is extremely difficult to identify the cause of the disease, it is also difficult to identify a single recipe for the fight against psoriasis. This disease is very individual and the approach to treatment should be strictly individual.
Diet.In most cases, dietary advice is sufficient to stop the development of psoriasis. It is necessary to exclude foods traditionally considered allergens - citrus fruits, chocolate, eggs, honey, peppers, strawberries. It is recommended to limit the consumption of sour, spicy, fatty foods (oil, lard), alcohol.
Fortifying agents.It is necessary to take multivitamin preparations, means to strengthen the body's immune system, eliminate nervous stress.
Puvotherapy.Application of special therapeutic agents to the skin, followed by activation by irradiation with ultraviolet radiation.
Cryotherapy.Placement in a cell with a very low temperature.
Bioresonance therapy.Exposure to weak electromagnetic vibrations.
Ozone therapy. Using gas treatments, and ozonized cosmetics.
Hirudotherapy.The use of medicinal leeches.
Spa treatment.This type of treatment is carried out without exacerbation of the disease, in the summer-spring period with great care, since sometimes a change in climate can, on the contrary, provoke the disease. For psoriasis, the Dead Sea sanatoriums (Israel), Baku, etc. are recommended.
External treatment(ointments, creams, etc. ).
Systemic treatment(tablets, injections, etc. ).
Photochemotherapy.Exposure to ultraviolet rays directly on the affected areas of the skin is carried out using special devices that irradiate only the right places without touching healthy skin (which is important in the treatment of limited forms of psoriasis, for example, treatment of nail psoriasis).
Traditional methods of treatment.Based on the therapeutic effect of medicinal herbs (celandine, Kalanchoe, eucalyptus, honey, kombucha, etc. ).
Phytotherapy.Treatment with medicinal herbs.
Hypnotherapy.Hypnosis treatment.
Acupuncture.Restores both the physical and mental state of a patient with psoriasis.
Homeopathy.
Treatment of psoriasis with folk remedies.
Today, you can easily find many articles on the treatment of psoriasis with folk remedies, there are really a lot of remedies for the treatment, we will present to your attention some of them.
Quite good results, gives the use of inside decoctions of herbs such as chicory, dandelion, parsley. For treatment, ground roots of these plants are used, which are harvested in spring or autumn on their own or purchased at a pharmacy.
Dill is good for psoriasis. It is very useful to eat it in any available form, and it is better to grind the seeds in a coffee grinder. In the morning, you can prepare a decoction of dill seeds: pour boiling water over two tablespoons of dill seeds (0. 5 l), insist for an hour, and then drink the resulting decoction thirty minutes before meals, 3-4 times a day.
Cleansing the liver and intestines can also help relieve psoriasis. The easiest way to cleanse is with pumpkin seeds, which you need to eat one glass a day for a month, as well as a tablespoon of corn oil twice a day.
The use of coniferous baths, every other day, about half an hour, will help cleanse the skin. It is simple to prepare the broth: on the bottom of a large saucepan or bucket, you need to put spruce branches, add celandine leaves to them, pour all this with water, bring to a boil and evaporate over very low heat for 20 minutes. Then infuse the broth for 2-3 hours and pour into the prepared bath. The water temperature should be 37-38 degrees.
For the preparation of baths, you can use other herbs: mint, motherwort, chamomile, valerian, lemon balm, oregano, caraway seeds, hops.
For the treatment of psoriasis, you can also use sea buckthorn oil, both externally and internally.
Top most popular psoriasis questions and answers.
Is psoriasis contagious?
Psoriasis is not contagious, in any case, numerous studies confirm this. The presence of several family members with psoriasis is explained by the possible hereditary transmission of the disease.
What are the guarantees of treatment?
There can be no question of any guarantees, only a stable remission is possible.
How much does the treatment cost on average?
It is virtually impossible to calculate the cost of treatment due to strictly individual treatment methods and the duration of treatment.
How is the diagnosis carried out?
Visual examination and scraping for fungal infection, to detect concomitant pathology.
How does alcohol affect the psoriasis patient?
Alcohol, due to its toxicity, has a detrimental effect on the entire body as a whole, what can we say about the changed skin.
In most patients with alcohol abuse, there is a loss of seasonality in the course of psoriasis and frequent exacerbations. The clinical course of the disease becomes more severe.
So people with psoriasis are not recommended to drink alcoholic beverages even in small quantities.
How stressful situations affect psoriasis?
The human nervous system is associated with the activity of the brain. The brain controls all the functions of the body, the organs of the intellect and the emotions of a person. It has been established that in people experiencing negative emotions, the amount of adrenaline in the blood rises, this leads to a malfunction of the nervous system, and, accordingly, all internal organs. Therefore, during stressful conditions, 56. 6% of patients experience an exacerbation of the disease.
If a relative has psoriasis, what is the likelihood that I will get psoriasis?
1. 2% of patients with psoriasis did not have sick relatives. 5% of patients had sick relatives. If one of the twins has psoriasis, the other has psoriasis in 16% of cases, provided that one of the parents is sick. If both parents and one of the twins are sick, then another has psoriasis in 50% of cases, and if twins are identical - in 73%.
Practical advice for patients with psoriasis
- Wear loose, breathable clothing.
- Protect your skin, avoid mechanical irritation.
- Don't dress too warmly.
- Avoid contact with caustic cleaning agents and solvents whenever possible.
- For body care, only mild soaps are allowed, sparing the acidic mantle of the skin.
- The shower or bath you take should not be hot and long. It is best to take a short to moderately warm shower.
- Try not to rub yourself too hard with a washcloth while washing and with a towel when drying.
- Control your emotions.
- Communication with other patients can be of additional help.
- Exercising will help improve the condition, yoga is especially recommended.
- A balanced diet and healthy gut microflora will improve the condition of your skin.
Rehabilitation of patients with psoriasis
Rehabilitation of patients includes the following activities:
- elimination of side effects of the main treatment.
- stabilization of metabolic processes in the body.
- treatment of concomitant diseases.
- increasing the body's resistance to factors provoking an exacerbation.
For a stable remission, you may need to radically change your lifestyle, work, in some cases even change your place of residence (relocation to rural, ecologically clean areas often maintain a stable remission). The support of relatives and friends is especially important, communication with people with the same disease will help to overcome difficulties together.
Life according to Hufeland
The eminent German physician-therapist Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland once said: "Among the influences that shorten life, fear, sadness, despondency, melancholy, cowardice, envy, hatred occupy a predominant place. No one doubts that you can get sick from the idea of illness, why not imagine yourself healthy in order to get well? "Perhaps these wonderful words will firmly enter your life and help you overcome the disease. Live according to Hufeland!