Psoriasis

Summary

Psoriasis is a skin disease that causes itchy or sore patches of thick, red skin with silvery scales. You usually get the patches on your elbows, knees, scalp, back, face, palms and feet, but they can show up on other parts of your body. Some people who have psoriasis also get a form of arthritis called psoriatic arthritis. A problem with your immune system causes psoriasis. In a process called cell turnover, skin cells that grow deep in your skin rise to the surface. Normally, this takes a month. In psoriasis, it happens in just days because your cells rise too fast. Psoriasis can be hard to diagnose because it can look like other skin diseases. Your doctor might need to look at a small skin sample under a microscope. Psoriasis can last a long time, even a lifetime. Symptoms come and go. Things that make them worse include: infections, stress, dry skin, and certain medicines. Psoriasis usually occurs in adults. It sometimes runs in families. Treatments include creams, medicines, and light therapy.

(Autoimmune Association, 2023)

Symptoms

Common signs and symptoms of psoriasis include:

• A patchy rash that varies widely in how it looks from person to person, ranging from spots of dandruff-like scaling to major eruptions over much of the body

• Rashes that vary in color, tending to be shades of purple with gray scale on brown or Black skin and pink or red with silver scale on white skin

• Small scaling spots (commonly seen in children)

• Dry, cracked skin that may bleed

• Itching, burning or soreness

• Cyclic rashes that flare for a few weeks or months and then subside

There are several types of psoriasis, each of which varies in its signs and symptoms:

• Plaque psoriasis. The most common type of psoriasis, plaque psoriasis causes dry, itchy, raised skin patches (plaques) covered with scales. There may be few or many. They usually appear on the elbows, knees, lower back and scalp. The patches vary in color, depending on skin color. The affected skin might heal with temporary changes in color (post inflammatory hyperpigmentation), particularly on brown or Black skin.

• Nail psoriasis. Psoriasis can affect fingernails and toenails, causing pitting, abnormal nail growth and discoloration. Psoriatic nails might loosen and separate from the nail bed (onycholysis). Severe disease may cause the nail to crumble.

• Guttate psoriasis. Guttate psoriasis primarily affects young adults and children. It's usually triggered by a bacterial infection such as strep throat. It's marked by small, drop-shaped, scaling spots on the trunk, arms or legs.

• Inverse psoriasis. Inverse psoriasis mainly affects the skin folds of the groin, buttocks and breasts. It causes smooth patches of inflamed skin that worsen with friction and sweating. Fungal infections may trigger this type of psoriasis.

• Pustular psoriasis. Pustular psoriasis, a rare type, causes clearly defined pus-filled blisters. It can occur in widespread patches or on small areas of the palms or soles.

• Erythrodermic psoriasis. The least common type of psoriasis, erythrodermic psoriasis can cover the entire body with a peeling rash that can itch or burn intensely. It can be short-lived (acute) or long-term (chronic).

(Autoimmune Association, 2023)

Diagnostic Criteria

Under Investigation

Study Classification Criteria

Under Investigation

Diagnostic Tests

Under Investigation

Organized Autoimmunity

(Alternative Autoimmune Disease Classification: FIEM, MIEM or BIEM, or FEM, MEM or BEM)

1. sex predominance (is an autoimmune disease primarily found in genetic Females, Males, or equally in Both?)

   1. Under Investigation

2. Inherited and acquired gene variations that cause increased susceptibility

   1. Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Associations

      1. Under Investigation

   2. Other Gene Variations (mutations)

      1. Under Investigation

3. Gene Triggering Environmental Exposures

   1. Infections

      1. COVID-19 (Chang et. al, 2023, found a significantly higher risk of Psoriasis following COVID-19 infection in a study of 3,814,479 participants)

   2. Toxins

      1. Under Investigation

   3. Stress

      1. Needs to be assessed for each patient

4. Multiple interactive and destructive immune system pathologies

   1. Under Investigation

Tissue-Type or Cell-Type Attacked

Under Investigation

Treatment(s)

Under Investigation

Managing Specialist(s)

Under Investigation

Research Authors

Under Investigation

Research Institutions

Under Investigation

Average Time from Symptom Onset to Diagnosis

Under Investigation

Last Updated

September 05, 2023

References

Chang R, Yen-Ting Chen T, Wang SI, Hung YM, Chen HY, Wei CJ. Risk of autoimmune diseases in patients with COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study. EClinicalMedicine. 2023 Feb;56:101783. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101783. Epub 2023 Jan 10. PMID: 36643619; PMCID: PMC9830133.

Psoriasis. Autoimmune Assocation. (2023, April 22). Retrieved September 05, 2023 from https://autoimmune.org/disease-information/psoriasis/