Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic, autoimmune disease that appears on the skin. It occurs when the immune system sends out faulty signals that speed up the growth cycle of skin cells. Psoriasis is not contagious and can strike at any age.

No one knows exactly what causes psoriasis. However, it is understood that the immune system and genetics play major roles in its development. Most researchers agree that the immune system is somehow mistakenly triggered, which causes a series of events, including acceleration of skin cell growth.

Individuals with psoriasis are at an elevated risk to develop other chronic and serious health conditions (comorbid diseases). People with more severe cases of psoriasis also have an increased incidence of psoriatic arthritis, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, depression, obesity, and other immune-related conditions such as Crohn's disease. 

For some people, psoriasis is just a nuisance. For others, it's disabling, especially when associated with arthritis. No cure exists, but psoriasis treatments may offer significant relief.

It is important for individuals to take an active role in their care.  A good disease-management plan should be in place which starts with a strong support network and includes diet, exercise, and stress reduction practices to help reduce the triggers of psoriasis.

Source:  National Psoriasis Foundation
http://www.psoriasis.org/

Key Point 1

Psoriasis is a chronic, autoimmune disease for many beginning in childhood with strong genetic pre-dispositions.  An outbreak is often triggered by injury to the skin or stress or medication and even though psoriasis is not contagious, patients often feel stigmatized by the disease.

Key Point 2

Effective treatment for psoriasis can be challenging, skin can become resistant to treatment over time and more powerful medications have serious side effects sometimes.  Treatment for the individual may change throughout lifetime, it’s important to talk to your doctor about your options but the bottom line is there are great treatments now and more on the way.

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Conduct an off-site search for Psoriasis from MedlinePlus.  These up-to-date search results are based on search terms specific to Second Opinion Key Points.

• Psoriasis
• Psoriatic Arthritis
• Autoimmune Diseases
• Coping with Chronic Illness

Resources

There are a very large number of organizations dedicated to helping people with Psoriasis. This is only a partial list.

American Academy of Dermatology:  The American Academy of Dermatology is the largest and most representative dermatology group in the United States.  It represents virtually all practicing dermatologists in the United States, as well as a growing number of international dermatologists.

National Psoriasis Foundation:  The National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) is a non-profit, voluntary health agency dedicated to finding a cure for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and eliminating their devastating effects through research, advocacy and education.

U.S. National Library of Medicine:  The U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) is the world's largest medical library. It has millions of books and journals about all aspects of medicine and health care on its shelves. Its electronic services deliver trillions of bytes of data to millions of users every day.