Psoriasis is a disease that affects, according to WHO expert estimates, from 2 to 4% of the world’s population. The hallmark of this disease is that only representatives of the white race suffer from psoriasis. Determining the cause and treatment of psoriasis is considered one of the priority tasks of modern medicine. Today science has advanced far in these issues, but the causes of the disease are still not fully understood, as a complete cure for the disease has not been found.
Causes of psoriasis
Physiologically, psoriasis is caused by a skin cell life cycle that is too short. If usually this cycle is from 21 to 28 days, then in psoriasis patients the cycle only takes 3-6 days. This is what causes the formation of psoriatic plaques. The reason for this phenomenon is mainly debated among experts. While some consider psoriasis to be a disease caused by hereditary factors, others believe that the disease occurs as a result of damage in the immune system, which is a direct result of a whole set of various external factors.
Today, among physicians, a multifactorial theory prevails, which explains the occurrence of psoriasis for the following reasons:
- Descendants;
- Damage to the immune system is caused by:
- delayed infectious diseases;
- Improper nutrition;
- Alcohol abuse;
- Unfavorable climatic conditions.
However, really all experts agree on one thing, psoriasis is not a contagious disease and it is impossible to "catch" on the street like a cold 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 of complex effects.
It is believed that the first signs of the development of psoriasis are:
- Persistent feelings of general weakness;
- Feeling tired;
- Depression and frequent depression.
These symptoms should be worrisome. However, the clinical symptoms of psoriasis are manifested in skin lesions. In the case of psoriasis, these are, most often, psoriatic plaques that suddenly appear on the patient’s body. At first, they may be small (a few millimeters), but over time they can grow significantly (up to 10 centimeters in diameter).
According to the nature of the rash, psoriasis is usually divided into:
- Spots (the diameter of the plaque is small, not exceeding the diameter of the match head);
- Droplet -shaped, in size with a lentil grain, but in droplet -shaped;
- The round plaque is coin -shaped, reminiscent of coins up to 5 millimeters in diameter.
A characteristic feature of psoriasis is the formation of scales on the plaque, which is very easy to remove. This is due to the fact that it is formed by keratin epidermal cells. Scales form first in the center of the plaque, and then spread to the edges. Sometimes a pink ring forms around the plaque, which indicates the growth of the plaque itself. When the scales are removed, a shiny smooth skin surface remains, which has a pink color, due to its proximity to the location of the blood vessels (capillaries).
Classification of psoriasis, what is psoriasis (photo)
In most cases, doctors deal with common (abusive) psoriasis. However, in about 10% of cases, the manifestations of psoriasis have other external signs, which can be clearly seen in the photos.
According to the external manifestations of psoriasis, it is customary to distinguish the following forms:
- Acute psoriasis (common). It starts with a small papular rash the size from a match head to a pea. Scaling occurs on these papules, and the papules turn into typical psoriatic plaques. As a rule, plaques have clear boundaries, allowing them to be clearly depicted in relation to healthy skin. Plaque can be itchy. If the patient tries to remove the papule or plaque, desquamation is observed. After the debris is removed, a smooth and shiny surface stands out. If you continue the scraping process, droplets of blood appear quickly, called "blood dew";
- Psoriatic erythroderma. This, a very unpleasant disease as a form of psoriasis, occurs in about 2% of those who suffer from this disease. Erythroderma manifests itself in the form of severe itching, diffuse redness of the skin, as well as lamellar exfoliation. Often, psoriatic erythroderma is associated with generalized pustular psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Often, infections such as streptococcal infections complicate the course of the disease. Sometimes erythroderma manifests itself spontaneously already in the first stage of psoriasis. In some cases, erythroderma develops as a result of improper psoriasis treatment;
- Psoriasis pustular. This form of the disease is characterized by the formation of pustules resembling small abscesses. With flow, this form of psoriasis can be generalized and localized. With a localized shape, pustules are located in the area of the feet and palms. With the general form, the patient has an increase in body temperature and signs of body intoxication. 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 inflammatory processes in the joints and muscles of the patient;
- Psoriasis on the nail plate. In some cases, common psoriasis affects the nail plate, and then they talk about nail psoriasis. The defeat of the nail plate by psoriasis is very similar to a fungal infection. As a result of the disease, the nail plate can change shape and even disappear completely in the end.
Psoriasis treatment
Modern medicine does not yet have a weapon capable of completely curing psoriasis; there is still insufficient knowledge of the causes and characteristics of the course of the disease. However, in the arsenal of doctors there are several drugs that can significantly relieve the manifestations of psoriasis and move it from the acute phase to long -term remission. When treating psoriasis, doctors take into account the age, gender, lifestyle, health condition of the patient and only take into account all these factors choosing a treatment strategy.
Often, psoriasis treatment begins with external therapy. This includes:
- Salicylic ointment, used at this time when the disease is progressing;
- Hormone medication prescribed if salicylic ointment is useless;
- Cream containing ditronal. They have anti-inflammatory effects and help relieve the symptoms of psoriasis quickly.
But not always the way external therapy brings the desired results. Then different treatment tactics were 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. Many of them do help in the treatment of this disease. But do not exaggerate the possibility of such a recipe, because traditional medicine can be used as adjunctive therapy, but in no case as a primary means of treatment.
Perhaps the most common traditional remedy for psoriasis is celandine. Unfortunately, this method can be treated only in the summer, when it is not a problem to find celandine. The essence of this method lies in the action of plant sap on the plaque. It is enough to simply break the stem and direct the drops of juice on this fracture to the skin affected by psoriasis. This needs to be done every day for three months. It is believed that the maximum effect of treatment occurs in the third year of treatment.
In second place in popularity is birch tar, which is only spread on the affected surface for an hour. According to another method, after the use of such tar, it is recommended to use celandine juice. The course of treatment in the first case and in the second case is 15 days.
Egg -based ointments are considered very popular in the treatment of psoriasis. To prepare it, take two raw eggs and mix with sunflower oil (olive) and beat. After that, add half a tablespoon of vinegar into the resulting batter. The affected area is rubbed with the mixture once a day. The mixture itself is stored in a dark, cool place.
It helps very well with the exacerbation of psoriasis and a bath added a decoction of walnut bark. For one bath, you need to brew the shells from half a kilogram of nuts. Baths are taken no more than 15-20 minutes at a temperature not higher than 37 degrees. It is recommended to take ten baths with rest in one day.
Diet for psoriasis
According to many experts, proper nutrition in psoriasis is very important to avoid prolonged periods of disease exacerbation. It is believed that the essence of the diet is to maintain the acid-base balance against the alkaline components. So, 70-80% of the product should be alkaline and only 20-25 form acids.
The alkali forms include:
- Fruits (except black and red currant cranberries, prunes, plums and grapes);
- Vegetables (excluding beans, Brussels sprouts, pumpkin, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant).
It is common to refer to acid -forming products:
- kanji;
- cheese;
- sugar;
- meat
- Butter;
- cream.
Therefore, the diet of psoriasis patients should include:
- Water (at least 2 liters per day);
- Fresh and steamed fruit (canned fruit is not desired). 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 are buckwheat, wheat, barley, cereal porridge, as well as rice -baked foods and corn flour;
- Low -fat fish, four times a week;
- Chicken (chicken), two to three times a week. It is permissible to give a sick young goat once a week;
- Milk (skim is best);
- Soft -boiled eggs, two to three times a week;
- Vegetable oil at the rate of 3 teaspoons a 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 moisturized;
- Excessive exposure to cold or hot air should be avoided;
- Reduce the likelihood of injury to the skin surface;
- Quit alcohol and tobacco;
- All illnesses are from the nerves, so you need to minimize the effects of stress and try to align with yourself and the world around you.