Why Is Psoriasis On The Rise?

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes patches of thick, dry and irritated skin. It is estimated to affect up to 125 million people worldwide, with 3% to 5% having severe psoriasis. Psoriasis can either develop around the body’s joints (psoriatic arthritis) or on its own. It is not contagious; however, environmental factors may trigger psoriasis in people genetically predisposed to it. Although psoriasis is not a fatal disease, it can be very debilitating. Let’s know in brief about psoriasis and why it rises,

What is psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a non-contagious, autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases happen when the body’s immune system – which normally protects us from getting sick – starts targeting healthy cells by mistake. In psoriasis, this occurs in the innermost layer of the skin (epidermis). Leukocytes or white blood cells typically travel through the epidermis to protect the body against foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. In people with psoriasis, these leukocytes get trapped inside this skin layer and multiply rapidly, producing red patches on the skin that may be itchy or cause pain.

What causes psoriasis?

1. Genes play a significant role in triggering the disease. Researchers have found several mutations that are known to raise a person’s risk of developing psoriasis, but it is still unclear why these genetic changes occur.
2. The immune system makes proteins called cytokines, which are involved in triggering psoriasis. Cytokines can be helpful to the body when they fight infections or help close wounds. However, in psoriasis, these same cytokines cause redness and swelling by acting on other cells that line the skin’s outer layer (epidermis).
3. Skin injuries – such as cuts, burns, bites, frostbite, surgery – may trigger psoriasis in some people who are genetically predisposed to it.
4. Certain medications may lead to psoriasis flare-ups in some patients. These include beta-blockers for high blood pressure; lithium for bipolar disorder; antimalarial drugs used to treat tuberculosis; certain cancer medications; high-dose vitamin A supplements; and some seizure medications.
5. Environmental triggers such as injury to the skin, stress, or other infections may be responsible for the worsening of symptoms. Evidence also suggests that smoking and drinking coffee can trigger psoriatic flares in some people with psoriasis conditions.

Types of Psoriasis: 

Psoriasis Vulgaris: This is the most common form of psoriasis. It usually appears as plaques on the skin that are red, raised, and itchy. Symptoms often appear gradually and may be accompanied by tiny blisters ( vesicles ) or pus-filled bumps ( pustules ).

 Psoriatic Arthritis: Arthritis is when certain joints become inflamed, swollen, and stiff; psoriatic arthritis can also cause pain, swelling, and stiffness in other joints. Even mild injury to affected joints can lead to permanent damage.

Guttate Psoriasis: This type of psoriasis occurs mainly in children and young adults. The small red spots last less than six weeks without treatment; however, they quickly return once treatment ceases.

Erythrodermic Psoriasis: The erythrodermic form of psoriasis is the rarest type. It causes severe scaling, redness, and itching all over the body. Their disease burns more than 50% of patients with this type of psoriasis.

Inverse Psoriasis: This type of psoriasis occurs in the folds of the skin. It is characterized by inflamed patches that are covered by white, silvery scales.

Pustular Psoriasis: A pustular psoriasis is a rare disease that appears as raised bumps filled with pus.

Who gets Psoriasis?

• Genes play a significant role in triggering the disease. Researchers have found several mutations that are known to raise a person’s risk of developing psoriasis, but it is still unclear why these genetic changes occur.
• Anyone can get psoriasis, but it is most common in people with family members who have the condition. Genetics may be responsible for up to 90% of all cases of psoriasis.
• Psoriasis affects 2%-3% of the worldwide population at some point during their lives. It often appears first at an early age, especially among those whose parents also have the condition. Among children living in households with one parent diagnosed with either plaque or guttate psoriasis, there is a 20% risk that they will develop signs and symptoms of the disease.
• People of all races and ethnic groups can develop psoriasis, but it does tend to be more prevalent among Caucasians.

Symptoms of psoriasis:

1. The most common symptom of psoriasis is raised, red patches that appear on the skin. These are called plaques. They’re typically covered with silvery scales. The plaques can vary in size from very small to quite large areas of the body.
2. Areas of inflammation often surround these patches of psoriasis, causing swelling, pain, and bleeding when they break open or bleed right through the skin surface. Patients may develop pustules (pus-filled bumps) surrounded by redness at the edge of a plaque, which may also ooze blood and pus if opened up.
3. The nails may become pitted or grooved in some patients with psoriasis affecting their hands or feet. Small white lines may also appear under the nails. Some patients develop yellowish areas on the nails, known as leukonychia.
4. Psoriasis typically goes through cycles of flare-ups and remission, but several potential symptoms affect your skin, joints, eyes, or digestive system.
5. The severity of psoriasis symptoms varies quite a lot between people with this disease, so it’s important to talk to your doctor about the specifics of what you’re experiencing to recommend an appropriate treatment plan that addresses your symptoms specifically.

Why do you see a rise in psoriasis?

1. Lifestyle factors: People with psoriasis have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other health conditions related to poor diet or lack of exercise.
2. Medical factors:Some treatments for other health conditions may increase psoriasis symptoms. For example, starting therapy with steroids or interferon-a medication used to treat cancer – can trigger psoriasis flares.
3. Genetics: Triggers specifically related to genetics, such as a family history of psoriasis, may also contribute to developing this skin condition.
4. Inflammation:Researchers have found that skin cells produce a protein called tumor necrosis factor-alpha in higher quantities when they are inflamed or damaged by certain stimuli, including sunlight and your body’s inflammatory chemicals.
5. Immune system:Exposure to ultraviolet light, such as sunlight or tanning booths, can trigger psoriasis flares in some people. It appears that exposure to the sun somehow affects the immune system, leading it to overreact and produce substances that cause skin cells to reproduce rapidly.
6. Different drugs and their side effects: Psoriasis treatment can vary depending on the severity of symptoms and how much the condition affects your quality of life. Oral medications used for high blood pressure (beta-blockers) and depression (tricyclic antidepressants), specific cancer treatments (methotrexate), antimalarial medications, hydroxychloroquine, sulfasalazine, and oral contraceptives also increase the risk of psoriasis outbreaks in some individuals.
7. Smoking:Studies show that smokers are more likely to develop psoriasis than nonsmokers, and quitting smoking can reduce the risk of flare-ups in some patients.
8. Stress: Severe emotional distress can increase your risk of psoriasis flare-ups. Researchers aren’t sure why, but one theory is that stress may contribute to autoimmune diseases by causing a temporary malfunction in the immune system.
9. Different medical conditions: Sometimes, it’s not clear whether another health condition leads to psoriasis or if psoriasis itself contributes to other types of problems, such as cardiovascular disease. Either way, some research suggests that having a chronic condition like arthritis or obesity can make you more likely to develop psoriasis and vice versa.
10. Heat, cold, sun exposure:It isn’t clear why some patients experience flare-ups in response to environmental changes like heat or cold, but many people with psoriasis notice that their symptoms are worse when they’re exposed to the sun. Sunlight penetrates your skin more deeply in the summer months than in winter, so common sense says that you should wear sunscreen year-round if you have psoriasis on any part of your body directly exposed to sunlight.

An experienced dermatologist or skin doctor can help you manage your psoriasis symptoms and minimize flares with medications such as topical steroids, vitamin D analogs. Depending on your specific case, your doctor may recommend phototherapy treatments that use visible light wavelengths to reduce inflammation.

Different psoriasis treatments:

Topical Corticosteroids:  These are available in various strengths, with over-the-counter options generally being the least potent.

Vitamin D Analogs: These medications help block your body’s inflammatory response to UVB light, so it relaxes and stops triggering psoriasis outbreaks. They include calcipotriene (Dovonex), which is often combined with another drug called betamethasone; tacalcitol (Curatoderm); and calcitriol (Vectical).

Calcineurin Inhibitors: Ointments like tacrolimus (Protopic) or pimecrolimus (Elidel) that suppress your immune system’s inflammatory chemicals can be very helpful for certain types of pustular and erythrodermic psoriasis in adults and children.

Biologics: These injectable medications stimulate your body’s immune system to improve the way it responds to psoriasis flare-ups. They include adalimumab (Humira), etanercept (Enbrel), ustekinumab (Stelara), and others.

Immunotherapy: A new approach is known as “psoralen plus ultraviolet A therapy” can be used when other treatments don’t work well for psoriasis or cause bothersome side effects like skin cancer and liver problems; or high blood pressure. This involves taking methoxsalen medication (a type of folic acid) and exposure to UV-A light reached by unique lamps used with or without psoralen.

Alternative treatment: You can control psoriasis rise by treating yourself with an alternative mode of treatment. This can be done through homeopathic psoriasis treatment. A lot of people have tried this and claim that it works for them.

Homeopathic treatment for psoriasis: 

Homeopathy has been used to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, and rosacea for hundreds of years. The remedies that are best suited to treat your skin condition depend on several factors such as:

-the type and location of your skin lesions;

-any other symptoms you may be experiencing at the time;

-your general health and medical history; and

-other homeopathic medicines you may be currently taking or have taken previously for this or another ailment. Many people practice homeopathy all over the world, including India, Europe, and North America. However, it is essential to ensure that you consult a qualified homeopathy doctor experienced specifically in treating skin problems such as psoriasis.

Benefits of using the homeopathic treatment for psoriasis:

1. There are no side effects: The homeopathic remedies used for psoriasis and other skin conditions don’t have any harmful side effects since they do not contain steroids, antibiotics, or other chemical substances.
2. Once you treat your condition with homeopathy, it is unlikely to recur unless another trigger like stress or an infection re-activates it. You can then choose to prevent future outbreaks by taking a small dose of the same medicine daily until the illness has completely cleared up and healed.
3. It saves money: Since the remedies don’t involve expensive medication, tests, and treatments like those offered by modern medicine (including surgeries and laser treatments), treating yourself with homeopathy can save you a lot of money.
4. It treats the root cause:Homeopathy is based on the principle that ‘like cures like.’ This means that a natural substance that causes particular symptoms can treat those very same symptoms in an individual. That’s why homeopathic remedies are made from the most minute particles of natural substances found in plants, minerals, and other sources. Since homeopathy treats the entire body as a single unit or ‘holistic entity,’ it boosts your immunity, so you won’t need to worry about future outbreaks.

You should also ensure that the homeopahty doctor uses only natural remedies based on scientific research and clinical experience because these types of treatments do not involve potentially dangerous chemicals or drugs with side effects. For more information on homeopathic treatment for psoriasis, you can book an appointment through OHO Homeopathy and receive treatments backed up by scientific research that ensures safe, gentle treatment of your skin condition.