Le Psoriasis is a inflammatory skin disease. It is usually characterized by the appearance of thick patches of skin that flake off (which peel off as white “scales”). The plates appear in different places on the body, most often on the elbows, knees and scalp. They leave areas of red skin.

This chronic disease progresses in cycles, with periods of remission. She is not not contagious and can be well controlled by treatments.

Psoriasis can be very unpleasant or even painful when it appears on the palm of the hands sole or in the folds of the skin. The extent of the disease varies greatly from person to person. Depending on where the plaques are located and their extent, psoriasis can be bothersome and interfere with social life. Indeed, the view of others on skin diseases is often hurtful.

Who is affected?

About 2 to 4% of the western population would be affected. Psoriasis mostly affects caucasiens.

The disease usually appears in adulthood, towards the end of around twenty or the beginning of the about thirty. However, it can affect children, sometimes even before the age of 2. Psoriasis affects both men and women.

Causes

The precise cause of Psoriasis is not known. Several factors are believed to be involved in the onset of the disease, in particular genetic and environmental factors. Thus, we find family history psoriasis in about 40% of cases. Physical (infections, injuries, surgery, medication, etc.) or psychological (nervous fatigue, anxiety, etc.) stresses can contribute to the onset of the disease.²³.

Psoriasis could also be caused by autoimmune reactions occurring in the skin. These reactions would stimulate the multiplication of cells in the epidermis. In people with psoriasis, these cells renew themselves at a much too rapid rate: every 3 to 6 days rather than every 28 or 30 days. Since the lifespan of skin cells remains the same, they accumulate and formthick crusts.

Types of psoriasis

There are several types of psoriasis. The most common form is the plaque psoriasis, also called psoriasis vulgar (because it represents more than 80% of cases). The other forms are

– psoriasis in drops,

Observed especially in children and young adults, it corresponds to an efflorescence of small psoriasis lesions of less than 1cm in diameter predominantly on the trunk and the roots of the arms and thighs, most often sparing the face and occurring the most often within 15 days following an ENT infectious episode (but also anogenital) with β-hemolytic streptococcus of group A (2/3 of cases), C, Gou viral. Most of the time, the guttate psoriasis rash develops for about 1 month, then persists for 1 month and then in half of cases resolves spontaneously on the 3rd or 4th month. However, gout psoriasis can sometimes become chronic, in the form of a few residual plaques, or even outbreaks of disease for several years. In addition, gouty psoriasis may be a mode of entry into psoriasis since one third of patients eventually develop chronic plaque psoriasis.

The treatment of gouty psoriasis is most often based on Ultra Violets delivered in the cabin under medical supervision.

– psoriasis erythrodermic (generalized form)

– and psoriasis pustular. See the Symptoms section for a detailed description.

The locations of the plaques vary from one person to another, and we distinguish, among others:

• Le scalp psoriasis, very common ;
• Le palmoplantar psoriasis, which touches the palms of the hands and the sole of the foot;
• Le reverse psoriasis, which is characterized by plaques in the skin folds (groin, armpits, etc.);
• Le nail psoriasis (or ungual).

Course and possible complications

The disease progresses by quite unpredictable flare-ups and very variable depending on the individual. The symptoms usually last 3 to 4 months, then they can go away for several months or even years (this is the period of remission) and then reappear in most cases. People with a moderate or severe form of psoriasis can be very affected by their appearance and thus suffer from stress, anxiety, loneliness, loss of self-esteem and even depression.

It seems that people with psoriasis suffer more from cardiovascular disorders, metabolic syndrome and obesity, for reasons that are still unknown²¹.