Understanding Psoriasis: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

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Psoriasis

by Alike Medical Team ∙ Updated on June 13, 2023

Additional names

This group contains additional names: - Acrodermatitis continua - Dermatitis repens

General

Psoriasis is among the most common chronic skin disorders. It can manifest in many ways and can begin at any age, though it is less common in children than adults. There are many proposed risk factors including genetic predisposition, environmental and behavioral factors. Patients with psoriasis are at greater risk for a variety of conditions including psoriatic arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, as well as psychological disorders. The reason for these associations is not fully understood.

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Signs & symptoms

Psoriasis can appear in many different forms. The most common form called "chronic plaque psoriasis" usually presents with symmetrically distributed plaques that are reddish, well-demarcated with an overlying scale. Common areas of involvement include the scalp, knees, elbows and the groove between the buttocks. However, many other areas can be invloved. Also, there are different types of psoriasis that present very differently both in shape and in distribution. The plaques are commonly itchy but may also be asymptomatic. The clinical course is related to the type of psoriasis but is individual and is unpredictable.

Diagnosis

Most cases of psoriasis can be diagnosed by physical examination. A skin biopsy is usually not necessary but may be helpful for challenging cases. Lab tests are not used for the diagnosis.

Treatment

There are many different treatments for psoriasis. The choice of treatment is complex and depends on the severity, patient preference and the response to therapy. Treatment options include 1.Topical therapies: emollients, steroids, vitamin D analogs, topical anti-inflammatory therapy and more. 2. Phototherapy, light therapy, has a positive effect on psoriatic skin lesions with an anti inflammatory and anti proliferative properties. This can be done in office, at home, or outside in certain places 3. Systemic therapy- There are many systemic medications used for the treatment of psoriasis. Systemic therapy is usually relevant for patients with more than 5 percent body surface area or less extensive involvement but a debilitating disease.

Note

☝ We provide information on prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diagnosis, procedures and lab tests. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

National Institutes of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ MedlinePluse ∙ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

☝ All information has been reviewed by certified physicians from Alike

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I'm on tremfya injections for my Psariosis and pscoriatic arthritis this has pretty much cleared up my **Psariosis** which was really bad like everywhere and has helped with my pscoriatic arthritis symptoms but for me if I have to much dairy my joints start hurting again so I also avoid dairy as much as possible

Stress flairs it. Winter months makes mine worse also. I am prescribed Enstilar. It's a foam in a spray can. Works really well on the scalp, and reduces affected body areas also. It does need regular application as soon as first signs are there. The worse part of **scalp psoriasis** is the constant look of dandruff!!!

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Defo mention this to your doctor if you haven't already. As 1 in 3 people with **psoriasis** go on to develop psoriatic arthritis which affects the joints and makes them swollen and stiff. Hopefully this is not the case for you, but better to be safe than sorry 💕

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