Psoriasis is a disease that affects, according to WHO expert estimates, 2-4% of the world's population. A feature of the disease is that only representatives of the white race suffer from psoriasis. Determining the causes and treating psoriasis is considered one of the priority tasks of modern medicine. Today, science has advanced a lot on these questions, but the causes of the disease have not yet been fully understood, just as the means to cure this disease completely have not been found.
Causes of psoriasis
Physiologically, psoriasis is caused by an excessively short life cycle of skin cells. If normally this cycle lasts 21 to 28 days, then in patients with psoriasis the cycle takes only 3 to 6 days. This is what causes psoriatic plaques to form. The reason for this phenomenon is mainly debated among specialists. While some view psoriasis as a disease caused by hereditary factors, others believe that the disease occurs as a result of malfunctions of the immune system, which are a direct result of a whole host of various external factors.
Today, among doctors, the multifactorial theory prevails, which explains the occurrence of psoriasis by the following reasons:
- Heredity;
- Immune system dysfunctions due to:
- Reported infectious diseases;
- Poor nutrition;
- 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 streets like the flu or a sore throat.
Symptoms of psoriasis
Today, doctors consider psoriasis to be a systemic pathology, that is, it is customary to speak of psoriasis as a pathology with complex effects.
The very first signs of the development of psoriasis are believed to be:
- A constant feeling of general weakness;
- Feeling tired;
- Depression and depression frequent.
These symptoms should be alarming. However, the clinical symptoms of psoriasis manifest as skin lesions. In the case of psoriasis, it is, most often, psoriatic plaques that suddenly appear on the patient's body. Initially, they may be small (a few millimeters), but over time they can grow considerably (up to 10 centimeters in diameter).
By the nature of the rash, psoriasis is generally divided into:
- Spot (the diameter of the plates is small, does not exceed the diameter of a match head);
- Teardrop-shaped, the size of a lentil grain, but teardrop-shaped;
- Round coin shaped plates, reminiscent of a coin up to 5 millimeters in diameter.
A hallmark of psoriasis is the formation of scales on the plaques, which are very easy to remove. This is due to the fact that they are formed by the cells of the keratinized epidermis. The scale forms first in the center of the plate, then extends to the edges. Sometimes a pink ring forms around the plaque, indicating the growth of the plaque itself. When the scales are removed, a smooth and shiny surface of the skin, which is pink in color, remains due to the proximity to the location of the blood vessels (capillaries).
Classification of psoriasis, what psoriasis looks like (photo)
In most cases, doctors will treat ordinary (vulgar) psoriasis. However, in about 10% of cases, manifestations of psoriasis have other external signs, which are clearly visible in the photo.
Depending on the external manifestations of psoriasis, it is customary to distinguish the following forms:
- Psoriasis vulgaris (common). It begins with a rash of small papules that vary in size from a matchstick to a pea. Peeling occurs on these papules and the papule turns into a typical psoriatic plaque. Typically, plaques have well-defined boundaries, which allows them to be clearly visualized against healthy skin. Plaque can be itchy. If the patient tries to remove a papule or plaque, peeling is observed. After the flakes are removed, a smooth and shiny surface appears. If you continue the scraping process, droplets of blood appear very quickly, which is called "blood dew";
- Psoriatic erythroderma. This, an extremely unpleasant disease as a form of psoriasis, occurs in about 2% of people with this disease. Erythroderma is manifested by severe itching, diffuse redness of the skin, as well as lamellar desquamation. Often, psoriatic erythroderma is associated with generalized pustular psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Often, infections such as strep infections complicate the course of the disease. Sometimes erythroderma manifests itself spontaneously as early as the first stage 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 that look like small abscesses. With flow, this form of psoriasis can be generalized and localized. With a localized form, the pustules are located in the area of the soles of the feet and palms. With a 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. Appears in the form of an inflammatory process in the joints and muscles of the patient;
- Psoriasis of the nail plaques. In some cases, the common psoriasis affects the nail plates and then they talk about psoriasis of the nails. The defeat of the nail plates by psoriasis is very similar to a fungal infection. As a result of the disease, the nail plate can deform and even completely disappear at the end.
Psoriasis treatment
Modern medicine does not yet have in its arsenal the means capable of completely curing psoriasis, knowledge about the causes and features of the course of the disease is still insufficient. Nevertheless, in the arsenal of doctors there are a number of drugs that can significantly relieve the manifestations of psoriasis and transfer it from the acute phase to long-term remission. When treating psoriasis, the doctor takes into account the age, gender, lifestyle, state of health of the patient and taking into account only all these factors, he chooses a treatment strategy.
Very often, the treatment of psoriasis begins with external therapy. These include:
- Salicylic ointment, which is used as the disease progresses;
- Hormonal drugs prescribed if salicylic ointment is unnecessary;
- Creams containing ditronal. They have anti-inflammatory effects and help get rid of the symptoms of psoriasis fairly quickly.
But the means of external therapy do not always bring the desired result. Then a different treatment tactic is chosen, and a systematic approach is considered one of the most effective methods today.
Traditional medicine in the treatment of psoriasis
There are a large number of folk medicine recipes for psoriasis. Many of them indeed help in the treatment of this disease. But do not overestimate the possibilities of such recipes, because folk medicine can be used as an auxiliary therapy, but in no case as a means of primary treatment.
Perhaps the most common traditional medicine for psoriasis is celandine. Unfortunately, this method can only be treated in the summer, when it is not a problem to find celandine. The essence of the method lies in the action of the plant sap on the plates. All you need to do is snap off the stem and direct the droplets of juice from this fracture onto the skin with psoriasis. This should be done every day for three months. It is believed that the maximum effect of treatment occurs during the third year of treatment.
Second in popularity is birch tar, which is simply smeared on the affected surface for an hour. According to another method, after such application of tar, it is recommended to use celandine juice. The duration of treatment in the first and in the second case is 15 days.
Ointment made from eggs is considered very popular in the treatment of psoriasis. To prepare it, take two raw eggs and mix them with sunflower (olive) oil and beat. After that, add half a tablespoon of vinegar to the resulting mixture. The affected areas are smeared with a mixture once a day. The mixture itself is stored in a dark, cool place.
It helps very well in the exacerbation of psoriasis and a bath to which is added a decoction of walnut shells. For a bath you need to prepare shells from 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, good nutrition in psoriasis is extremely important to avoid prolonged periods of exacerbation of the disease. It is believed that the essence of the diet is to maintain the acid-base balance towards the alkaline component. Thus, 70 to 80% of the products must be alkaline and only 20 to 25 acidogenic.
Those that form alkalis include:
- Fruits (except cranberries, prunes, plums and grapes);
- Vegetables (excluding legumes, Brussels sprouts, pumpkin, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants).
It is customary to designate acidifying products:
- Starch;
- Cheese;
- Sugar;
- Me at
- Butter;
- Cream.
So, the diet of a patient with psoriasis should include:
- Water (at least 2 liters per day);
- Fresh steamed fruit (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). Recommended products are buckwheat, wheat, barley, millet porridge, as well as baked goods made from rice and cornmeal;
- Low fat fish, four times a week;
- Poultry (chicken), two to three times a week. It is permissible to give a sick young sheep once a week;
- Milk (skimmed is best);
- boiled eggs, two to three times a week;
- Vegetable oil at the rate of 3 teaspoons per day.
Prophylaxis
And while 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 risk of injury to the skin surface;
- Give up alcohol and tobacco;
- All illnesses originate from the nerves, so you should minimize the stressful effects and try to be in harmony with yourself and the world around you.