Psoriasis is a disease that affects, according to estimates by WHO experts, 2 to 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 treatment of psoriasis is considered one of the priority tasks of modern medicine. At present, science has come a long way on these issues, but the causes of the disease have not yet been fully understood, just as ways of a complete cure for this disease have not been found.
Causes of psoriasis
Physiologically, psoriasis is caused by too short a life cycle of skin cells. If normally this cycle is 21 to 28 days, in patients with psoriasis the cycle lasts only 3 to 6 days. This is what causes psoriatic plaques to form. The reason for this phenomenon is debated mainly among specialists. While some consider psoriasis to be a disease caused by hereditary factors, others believe that the disease occurs as a result of a malfunction of the immune system, which are a direct consequence of a complete set of various external factors.
Today, among doctors, the multifactorial theory prevails, which explains the appearance of psoriasis for the following reasons:
- Inheritance;
- Immune system malfunction due to:
- Postponed infectious diseases;
- Improper nutrition;
- Alcohol abuse;
- Unfavorable weather 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 a sore throat.
Symptoms of psoriasis
Today, doctors consider psoriasis as a systemic pathology, that is, it is customary to speak of psoriasis as a pathology with complex effects.
The first signs of psoriasis development are believed to be:
- A constant feeling of general weakness;
- Feeling tired;
- Frequent depression and depression.
These symptoms should be alarming. However, the clinical symptoms of psoriasis manifest in skin lesions. In the case of psoriasis, it is most often psoriatic plaques that appear suddenly on the patient's body. Initially, they can be small (a few millimeters), but over time they can grow significantly (up to 10 centimeters in diameter).
By the nature of the rash, psoriasis is generally divided into:
- Stain (the diameter of the plates is small, it does not exceed the diameter of the head of a match);
- Drop-shaped, about the size of a grain of lentils, but in the shape of a droplet;
- Round coin-shaped plates, reminiscent of a coin up to 5 millimeters in diameter.
A characteristic of psoriasis is the formation of scales on the plaques, which are very easy to remove. This is because they are made up of keratinized cells of the epidermis. The scale is first formed in the center of the plate and then extended 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, shiny surface of the skin remains, which has a pinkish color, due to the proximity of the location of the blood vessels (capillaries).
Classification of psoriasis, what psoriasis looks 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.
Based 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 ranging in size from the head of a match to a pea. Desquamation occurs in these papules and the papule becomes a typical psoriatic plaque. As a general rule, plaques have well-defined boundaries, allowing them to be clearly visualized in relation to healthy skin. Plaque can be itchy. If the patient tries to remove a papule or plaque, scaling is seen. Once the scale is removed, a smooth, shiny surface is revealed. If you continue the scraping process, drops of blood appear very quickly, the so-called "blood spray";
- Psoriatic erythroderma. This, an extremely unpleasant disease as a form of psoriasis, occurs in about 2% of those who suffer from this disease. Erythroderma manifests as severe itching, diffuse redness of the skin, and lamellar scaling. Psoriatic erythroderma is often associated with generalized pustular psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Often infections such as streptococcus complicate the course of the disease. Sometimes erythroderma manifests spontaneously already in the first stage of psoriasis. In some cases, erythroderma develops as a result of improper psoriasis treatment;
- Pustular psoriasis. This form of the disease is characterized by the formation of pustules that resemble small abscesses. With the flow, this form of psoriasis can become generalized and localized. With a localized form, the pustules are located in the area of the soles of the feet and the 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;
- Psoriasic 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;
- Psoriasis of the nail plates. In some cases, common psoriasis affects the nail plates and then nail psoriasis is talked about. 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 become deformed and even completely disappear at the end.
Psoriasis treatment
Modern medicine does not yet have in its arsenal of means capable of completely curing psoriasis, there is still not 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 long-term remission. When treating psoriasis, the doctor takes into account the age, gender, lifestyle, state of health of the patient and only taking into account all these factors chooses a treatment strategy.
Most often, psoriasis treatment begins with external therapy. These include:
- Salicylic ointment, which is used at the time the disease progresses;
- Hormonal drugs that are prescribed if salicylic ointment is useless;
- Creams containing dithronal. They have anti-inflammatory effects and help eliminate psoriasis symptoms fairly quickly.
But not always the means of external therapy 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 traditional medicine recipes for psoriasis. In fact, many of them help in the treatment of this disease. But do not overestimate the possibilities of such recipes, since traditional medicine can be used as an auxiliary therapy, but in no case as a means of primary treatment.
Probably 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. It is enough to break the stem and direct the droplets of juice from 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.
Second in popularity is birch tar, which is simply spread over the affected surface for an hour. According to another method, after such a tar application, it is recommended to use celandine juice. The course of treatment in the first and second cases is 15 days.
Egg-based ointment 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 stained with a mixture once a day. The mixture itself is stored in a dark and cool place.
It helps very well with the exacerbation of psoriasis and a bath to which a decoction of walnut shells is added. For a bath, you need to prepare half-kilogram shells of walnuts. The bath is taken no more than 15-20 minutes at a temperature not higher than 37 degrees. It is recommended to take ten baths with breaks in a day.
Diet for psoriasis
According to many experts, proper 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. Therefore, 70-80% of the products should be alkaline and only 20-25 acid-forming.
Those that form alkali include:
- Fruits (except blueberries, prunes, plums, and black and red currant grapes);
- Vegetables (except legumes, Brussels sprouts, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and aubergines).
It is common to refer to acid-forming products:
- Starch;
- Cheese;
- Sugar;
- Meat
- Butter;
- Cream.
Therefore, the diet of a patient with psoriasis should include:
- Water (at least 2 liters per day);
- Steamed fresh fruit (canned fruit is undesirable). Apples, dates, figs, apricots, oranges, peaches, raisins are recommended;
- Vegetables, also fresh or steamed. Beets, cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, celery, spinach, zucchini, watercress, cabbage are recommended.
- Cereals (in small quantities). Buckwheat, wheat, barley, millet porridge, as well as baked goods from rice and cornmeal are recommended;
- Low-fat fish, four times a week;
- Poultry (chicken), two or three times a week. It is allowed to give a sick young lamb once a week;
- Milk (skim is best);
- Soft-boiled eggs, two or three times a week;
- Vegetable oil at the rate 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 hot or cold air should be avoided;
- Minimize the probability of lesions on the surface of the skin;
- Give up alcohol and tobacco;
- All diseases come from the nerves, so you should minimize stressful effects and try to be in harmony with yourself and the world around you.