With two per cent of people around the world suffering from psoriasis, the skin condition affects around 15,000 people in Cyprus. Although most people know of psoriasis, few realise it can turn deadly if left untreated as people with it tend to suffer other health risks such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and diabetes.
“People with psoriasis, a common, widely misunderstood immune system disorder that can cause patches of scaly, reddened, itchy skin growing on the body, don’t only have the painful, physical consequences to deal with but also the huge psychological effects it can have,” said dermatologist Constantinos Demetriou. “Society’s reaction to this skin condition, whether real or imaginative, causes many patients to withdraw and develop feelings of negativity and depression, which only worsens the situation.” Demetriou also said it was important people realised that psoriasis is not contagious.
When the human body functions normally, it produces new skin cells gradually. The skin cells on the surface of skin need about 30 days to die off and shed themselves. During that time, new skin cells are being created deep below the surface of the skin, gradually rising to the skin’s top layer arriving just in time to replace those that are ready to shed. With psoriasis however, the body’s immune system reacts to some sort of trigger, which can include severe illness or infection or stress. The body starts pushing the new skin cells to the surface much quicker than normal and they reach it in just a few days. With these new skin cells rising at such a fast rate, the existing surface skin cells have not had time to die off and shed themselves. As a result, the skin develops dry, white and flaky areas known as psoriasis. “Apart from outside factors, it is also believed that people with a family history of psoriasis are much more prone to developing the condition,” the dermatologist explained.
There are several types of psoriasis. Typically, people have only one form at a time, although sometimes two different types can occur together. Plaque psoriasis is the most common form, affecting 80 per cent of sufferers. Its symptoms are dry, red skin lesions that are covered in silver scales. Nail psoriasis affects the nails, causing them to pit, become discoloured and grow abnormally. In severe cases, nails may crumble. Guttate psoriasis normally occurs following a throat infection and is more common among children and teenagers. It causes small, teardrop-shaped sores on the chest, arms, legs and scalp. There is a good chance that guttate psoriasis will disappear completely. Scalp psoriasis normally affects the back of your head but it can occur in other parts or on the whole scalp. It can be extremely itchy but won’t cause hair loss. Inverse psoriasis affects areas of the skin that are in folds or creases such as armpits, groin and the skin between the buttocks and under the breasts. It can be made worse by friction and sweating and is common in overweight people.
Unfortunately, when it comes to treatment, psoriasis is among conditions that cannot be targeted and wiped out with one single drug. “There are a multitude of drugs available for patients with any form of psoriasis however, nothing has been discovered that can treat them thoroughly without any chance of the irritation returning. Having said that, it is important that anyone with this condition sees a dermatologist to at least be treated and avoid any dangerous complications,” explained Demetriou. “For serious cases, which are reviewed by doctors, medication is available but so far it’s limited to just those cases. We want it to be available for the many though and that’s what we’re working on.” Traditional treatments include moisturisers and medications, including steroids, applied directly to the skin; light therapy and other medications in a newer class called biologics, which target specific immune cells that play key roles in the disorder.
Psoriasis patients should also protect their heart health more than usual by controlling weight, blood pressure and cholesterol, not smoking, eating well, exercising and getting regular checkups.
