All about Psoriasis
This is a short introduction to Psoriasis, the first of a series of educational articles on psoriasis by Dr Hanish Babu, MD, Dermatologist, City Medical Centre, Ajman and Cosmolaser Medical Centre Sharjah, UAE. Visit his home page to book an appointment.
Please bookmark this page and come back for more articles, the links are given below, which will be updated periodically.
- Psoriasis is a chronic dry, scaly skin condition for which no cure has yet been found.
- Psoriasis is derived from the Greek word ‘psora’, which means itch.
- Psoriasis is not contagious.
- Psoriasis has a genetic basis, whereby in predisposed individuals certain triggering events or factors induce the body’s immune system to mistakenly speed up the growth cycle of skin cells.
- 125 million people worldwide (up to 3% of the population) have psoriasis. According to National Institute of Health, there are more than 7.5 million psoriasis patients in the United States.
- 10-30% of people with psoriasis may develop psoriatic arthritis with inflamed, stiff and painful joints.
- Studies have shown that people with psoriasis have almost the same reduction in quality of life as people with diseases such as cancer, diabetes or depression.
- Treatment for psoriasis is both topical and systemic and the choice and outcome of these treatments varies from individual to individual. Many patients suffer psoriasis in silence due to improper diagnosis and treatment.
- Most patients with psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis avoid social activities requiring body exposure due to embarrassment and fear of rejection.
- Recently, new biological therapies have been introduced giving new hope to people with psoriasis.
