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Little Known Facts about Psoriasis:

In the United States, about two or three out of every 100 people have psoriasis.
About one in 10 people with psoriasis will develop a type of arthritis called psoriatic arthritis.
The phrase psoriasis arises from a Greek word that means “to itch.” However, psoriasis often does not itch. Psoriasis most commonly appears as thick, flaky patches of skin that may be silver or red.
Psoriasis can be worsened by drug reactions, skin injury, infection, climate change and stress.
Psoriasis can occur at any age but is most common in people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.
Psoriasis affects both men and women.
Strep throat can lead to a type of psoriasis called guttate psoriasis, which is most common in children and young adults.
In psoriasis, skin cells multiply many times faster than normal and live only three to four days. The dead cells build up on the skin, forming thick, flaky patches.
In about one-third of cases, psoriasis is inherited. If both of a child’s parents have psoriasis, the child’s chances of getting the disease are about 50-50.

Psoriasis : Frequently Asked Questions.

Q “Is Psoriasis contagious?”
A Absolutely not. Psoriasis is not a danger of any kind to other people. In addition, Psoriasis lesions are not considered to be “open” infections or wounds.

Q: Is there a special diet that will help to clear psoriasis?
A: No. Various diets, including the use of fish oil supplements, have not been proven to help psoriasis.

Q “Is Psoriasis limited to certain body areas?”
A No. Psoriasis can be detected anywhere on the body. Psoriasis is usually found on the knees, elbows, torso, and the scalp. Other areas such as the face and in the genital area are considered to be rare.

Q What treatments are the best for Psoriasis?
A No single psoriasis treatment works for everyone, but something will work for most people. It is hard to predict what will work for a particular individual; however, it is important to be open-minded and willing to work with your doctor to find a treatment that will work for you.

Q Is there a Psoriasis cure?”
At Present there is no cure for Psoriasis. Primarily to the fact that the causes of Psoriasis cannot be isolated. There are psoriasis treatments that can control the Psoriasis and treatments that can put you into remission. Research is constant to find a Psoriasis cure.

Q: The steroid cream for psoriasis that my dermatologist prescribed worked well for a while but now my psoriasis has come back. Why?
A: Topical steroid medications can lose their effectiveness if they are used repeatedly for a long time. This is called resistance. Ask your doctor about other medications for psoriasis that are applied to the skin. Two relatively new medications are calcipotriene, which is chemically related to Vitamin D, and tazarotene, which is chemically related to Vitamin A. These medications may be used on their own or in combination with a steroid cream.

Q “What are the FDA approved Over The Counter (OTC) ingredients for Psoriasis Treatments?”
A There are two ingredients in specific percentages that are FDA approved in a Psoriasis Treatment. They are:
1) Coal Tar in strengths varying from 0.5% to 5.0%, and
2) Salicylic Acid in strengths varying from 1.8% to 3%.

Q Is psoriasis more prevalent in men or women, or in different ethnic groups?
A Psoriasis occurs nearly equally in men and women. It is also present in all racial groups, but in varying rates. Psoriasis prevalence in African Americans is 1.3 percent compared to 2.5 percent of Caucasians.1

Q “Is Psoriasis hereditary?”
A Yes. Heredity does play a part in Psoriasis. However, in about one third of cases, psoriasis is inherited. It is estimated that if a child has one parent with psoriasis, the child’s chances of getting the disease are between one in 10 and one in four. If both parents have psoriasis, a child’s chances of getting the disease are about 50-50.

Q “How many people suffer from Psoriasis?”
A There are roughly 7-10 million people, in the United States alone, with some form of Psoriasis. New occurrances of Psoriasis are diagnosed at a rate of about 250,000 cases per year.

Q “Can you die from Psoriasis?”
A Yes, but this is fairly rare. Reports indicate that roughly 300-400 people die each year from complications caused by their Psoriasis, and injection-based treatments. Another reason to be wary of biological treatments such as:

Methotrexate,
Enbrel and
Amevive.

Psoriasis – Summary

Here are some important facts and information related to psoriasis:

Psoriasis is not an infection and it is not contagious-you cannot “catch” it from anyone.
Psoriasis Treatment can oftentimes control the disease for long periods of time. Still, none of the available treatments is a cure. The disease can come back when treatment stops.
Treatment for psoriasis varies depending upon:

the age, sex, and lifestyle of the affected person the
type of psoriasis
how the affected person has responded to treatment in the past.
the level and severity of the disease (how much of the skin is affected and how badly)

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder that affects both men and women.
Skin injury, climate change, infection, drug reactions, and stress can all cause psoriasis to flare up or worsen.
In about one-third of cases, psoriasis is inherited.
The severity of psoriasis varies widely. The most common pattern is for the disease to be limited to certain parts of the body but to recur frequently.
Treatments can be combined in various ways to try to get the best outcome. Finding the most effective treatment for an affected individual can involve a lot of trial and error.
In general, Psoriasis can be treated in three ways.
medications given as a pill or injection (systemic therapy)
medications applied to the skin (topical therapy)
treatments that use ultraviolet light (phototherapy)
Biologic agents, dispensed through injection, are being introduced for the treatment of psoriasis and have significant advantages over previously used systemic therapies because they have fewer risks and side effects.

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