Psoriatic arthritis and you

From southplattesentinel.com

This week we are going to discuss and explore the condition known as psoriatic arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis is an auto immune disease read the body’s immune system is attacking itself. In psoriatic arthritis the patient generally has psoriasis, a condition which causes red patches of skin topped with silvery scales.

The patient with psoriatic arthritis will not only have psoriasis but will also develop joint pain. The joint pain specifically includes swollen fingers and toes, lower back pain and foot pain. The patient’s with lower back pain typically have inflammation of the joints between the vertebrae known as spondylitis and can also develop sacroiliitis, an inflammation of the sacroiliac joint. The patients with foot pain can especially demonstrate pain at the back of the heel (Achilles tendonitis) or plantar fasciitis at the sole of the foot and heel.

In all cases, psoriatic arthritis behaves much like rheumatoid arthritis with the specific exception that it is associated with psoriasis, also an auto immune condition. Auto immune conditions are rheumatologic conditions, that is to say that they deal with the immune system and area grouped in a category of conditions in which the immune system attacks the human body (it’s own self) Auto immune conditions are particularly problematic as usually the body is attempting to heal itself while in auto immune the body is attacking itself for some reason.

Treatment of auto immune conditions largely depends on medications to suppress the immune system. Patients with psoriatic arthritis often have psoriasis of the skin and fingernails as well as a family history of the disease. It can occur in any age but most often develops in adults between the ages of 30 and 50. A small percentage of people with psoriatic arthritis develop arthritis mutilans, a more severe and painful disabling form of arthritis which destroys the small bones in the hands especially the fingers leading to disfigurement, debility and dysfunction.

As you can see psoriatic arthritis has commonalities and differences, however, no matter how severe, the condition should be treated. Seeing an occupational therapist is often helpful for the hand, pain and dysfunction, physical therapy for the foot and heel pain as well as the back pain and seeing a rheumatologist to deal with the auto immune portion of the condition with specific medications geared toward suppressing the auto immune response.

https://www.southplattesentinel.com/2019/12/26/psoriatic-arthritis-and-you/

What to know about psoriasis

From koreatimes.co.kr

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a genetic basis, but environmental triggers often make symptoms of the disease flare up.
Skin cells of psoriasis patients proliferate up to 10 times faster than normal. The main symptoms of psoriasis are red, flaky, crusty patches and slivery scales covering them. It also causes intense itching or burning sensations.
Patients who have recovered still have a high chance of recurrence over their life time.
According to data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), 163,531 people were treated for psoriasis in 2018. The number of patients treated for the skin disease has been around 160,000 annually for the last five years since 2014.

     A psoriasis patient uses anti-inflammatory ointment to relieve symptoms. According to                        government data, 163,531 people were treated for psoriasis in 2018. /Gettyimagesbank

"Unlike some other skin conditions such as scabies and impetigo, psoriasis is not contagious. It isn't caused by contagious bacteria or another type of infection, but it is often a lifelong condition that requires a long-term treatment," said prof. Cho Nam-joon of NHIS Ilsan Hospital.
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease. It means people must have specific genes to develop the disease, but having the gene doesn't necessarily mean developing the disease.
"Patients do have to have those genes. However, environmental factors generally activate the condition," Cho said.
Causes
The exact cause of psoriasis is not fully known, but scientists believe that it is a kind of autoimmune disease.
While the immune system produces T cells that travel through the body to protect the body against infectious agents such as viruses or bacteria, the T cells of psoriasis patients attack healthy skin cells by mistake, as if to heal a wound or to fight the infection. Normally, skin cells are replaced every 10 to 30 days, but with psoriasis, new cells grow every three to four days. The build-up of old cells being replaced by new ones creates those silver scales.

Psoriasis triggers
Many environmental and lifestyle factors may trigger psoriasis, although not everyone with the illness has the same triggers.
The factors include: infections such as strep throat or skin infections; injury to the skin such as a bug bite or severe sunburn; stress; smoking; heavy alcohol consumption; vitamin D deficiency; and certain medications including lithium prescribed for bipolar disorder as well as high blood pressure medications such as beta blockers, antimalarial drugs and iodides.
Smoking doesn't just trigger psoriasis but could increase the severity of the disease.
Experts said smoking may cause one in five cases of psoriasis and doubles the risk of getting the condition. This may be due to the effects of nicotine on skin cells, skin inflammation, and the immune system.
Although some say that allergies and certain foods can trigger psoriasis, these claims are mostly anecdotal.

Treatment
Despite the fact that psoriasis is incurable, it responds well to many topical and systemic treatments. Even people with severe cases of psoriasis can get relief during flare-ups in most cases.
When a doctor confirms psoriasis, treatment will depend on the type and seriousness of the condition. The main options include medications and phototherapy.
People with psoriasis should use emollients to keep the skin moisturized. The emollients can help reduce the itching and irritation and may reduce the number of lesions.

Patients can rub the emollients directly into the affected skin to bring local relief without major side effects. Some doctors recommend salicylic acid ointment which soothes the skin by promoting the shedding of psoriatic scales. However, using salicylic acid may cause the body to absorb too much of the medication, leading to side effects.
Using steroid creams decreases inflammation, relieve itching, and block the overproduction of cells. But such creams are strong and can cause side effects that include burning, dryness, irritation, and thinning of the skin.
Even regular doses of sunlight can help psoriasis lesions in many people. For persistent, difficult-to-treat cases of psoriasis, many doctors recommend light therapy such as ultraviolet B light (UVB) and narrow-band UVB therapy.

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2019/12/119_279570.html