Psoriasis, or scaly versicolor is a chronic disease that affects the skin and its appendages: nails and hair. It is characterized by periods of worsening condition (relapses) and temporal well-being, when the manifestations of the disease are increasingly small. This disease is not contagious and the patient is not dangerous to others. Because the appearance of the psoriasis is not due to microorganisms.
Psoriasis most frequently occurs at the age of 15 to 45 years. You are more vulnerable to people with clear skin. In developed countries, the number of patients suffering from psoriasis reaches the 2-4% of the population. It affects one out of every 25-th inhabitant of the earth in all continents.
This problem deals with a large number of establishments. Therefore, the psoriasis was recognized as the most studied of the disease. But anyway, it is a disease not until the end learned. Officially it is considered incurable and raises many questions.
The psoriasis is called the characteristic of the immune cells in the body. Rise up from the lower layers of the skin in the upper part, causing inflammation, proliferation of the cells of the epidermis and the education of the small capillaries.
The manifestations of psoriasis in the skin are very various. Often the disease causes the appearance of red spots – psoriatic platelets. They are dry to the touch, rise above the surface of the skin and covered the white attack.
Types of psoriasis
The disease is divided into two major groups: pustular and not pustulous psoriasis.
Non-pustulous psoriasis
- ordinary (vulgar) or simple psoriasis (plaque-like, psoriasis is a chronic stable psoriasis)
- psoriatic erythroderma or erythrodermal psoriasis
Pustular psoriasis
- pustular psoriasis background Tsumbush or generalized pustular psoriasis
- palmoplantary psoriasis (pustular psoriasis of the extremities, chronic persistent palmoplantary pustules)
- annulary pustular psoriasis
- ladonno-plantar psoriasis
- herpetiform psoriatic impetigo
In addition distinguish these types of psoriasis
- seborrheic psoriasis
- psoriasis bending of the surfaces and folds of the skin
- psoriasis Napkin
- psoriasis is caused by medications
According to the degree of gravity of the distinguished forms of psoriasis
- Easy – with less than 3 % of the skin.
- Medium severity – 3-10% of the epidermis is covered with plates.
- Heavy – are injuries in the joints or participates in more than 10% of the skin.
Causes of psoriasis
In the day of today there is not a clear answer to the question: "why is psoriasis?". The scientists put forward several theories.
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease. At its base the failure of the immunity. Cell-mediated immune T-killer and T-helpers, whose role is to protect the body against viruses, bacteria and tumor cells, for some reason, they penetrate the upper layers of the skin. Here we produce the mediators of inflammation – substances that "set in motion" an inflammatory response. Its result becomes the reinforcement of the division of the cells of the skin and its reproduction (proliferation).
Psoriasis is a disease, which is caused by the failure of growth, division and maturation of epithelial cells - keratinocytes. The result of such changes in the skin becomes an attack of the immune cells T-lymphocytes and macrophages in the diseased cells of the skin.
The factors that contribute to the development of psoriasis
The doctors pointed to a series of factors that can cause the appearance of the disease. Of course, the more often the psoriasis occurs when the body acts at the same time several of these conditions.
- Hereditary predisposition. There is a version that the genes that are responsible for the functioning of the immune system and the function of T lymphocytes, are carriers of the disease. Therefore, parents who suffer from manifestations of psoriasis, there is a great probability of giving birth to children who present the same symptoms.
- Thin, dry skin. It has been observed that people with those characteristics of the epidermis are sick more often than those who have oily skin and well moist. Probably, this is due to the characteristics of tallow and the features of the structure of the epidermis.
- External irritating factors. A high percentage of the patients between those people who are in constant contact with alcohol, solvents, solvents, household chemical goods, cosmetics (lotions, creams for the hands).
- The excess of hygiene is the excessive love of cleanliness also undermines the protective properties of the skin. Soaps, shower gels, and towels to wash away natural protective barrier and leave behind a microscopic lesion.
- Bad habits – addiction to alcohol, tobacco, and drugs has a negative effect on the state of the skin. Worse the power supply, and blood supply.
- Hiv – Aids are more vulnerable to the onset of psoriasis. Scientists can not explain this phenomenon. The fact that psoriasis is called increasing the activity of lymphocytes, and hiv / Aids, their number is reduced.
- Medications taking certain medications can cause the disease. Among them: beta-blockers, antidepressants, anticonvulsants and antimalarial medications, lithium carbonate.
- Infections (fungal and staph). Quite often there have been cases of psoriasis appeared immediately after fungal lesions or diseases caused by streptococci.
- Transfers – climate change or even the time of year, the degradation of the environment can become a mechanism for this disease.
- The stress – strong emotional upheavals or physical stress (long periods of cold, excessive temperature, accident) precede the onset of the first symptoms of the psoriasis.
- Permanent injury of the exposure of the skin: pressure, friction, hairstyle. What is regular trauma can be the cause of the appearance in this place the first psoriatic platelets.
- A condition allergic – allergic skin rashes, and the processes that occur to the east, in all layers of the skin, also increase the risk of disease.
What are the symptoms and signs of psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a systemic disease that affects not only the skin and nails. Affects the joints, tendon, and spine, immune system, nervous and endocrine system. Often, involvement of the kidneys, the liver, the thyroid. The patient feels a strong weakness, suffer from chronic fatigue and depression. In connection with this a complex activity in the body, the disease in recent years, it is called psoriatic disease.
But the main manifestations of the disease occur in the epidermis of the skin. The name "flake versicolor" quite perfectly the symptoms of psoriasis. The first manifestations often become papules pink or bright red, correct the circular shape, covered with scales – psoriatic of the platelet. They are arranged symmetrically, mainly in the extensor surfaces, back, and scalp. But can affect any area of the skin and of the mucosa of the genital organs. Your size from a few millimeters, in the initial stages, of up to ten centimeters more.
Depending on the characteristics of the eruption, share the forms of psoriasis:
- The map of the psoriasis – the size of the elements less pin head.
- Guttate psoriasis – papules are a form of tears, and reach grain sizes.
- Nummular psoriasis – plaques can reach to 3-5 mm and have a rounded edge.
Also distinguished the form of rashes on the skin, when its elements are the type of rings, arches and garlands, geographical maps with jagged edges.
Papules covered with a touch, that is easily removed. It is composed of Horny cells of the epidermis. Psoriatic plaques begin to cover it scales with the center, then the plate extends to the edges. Their fluffy and a shiny appearance is due to that Hot cell-laden air-filled spaces. Around items can be pink ring is the area of the inflammation, the growth area of the platelet. The skin around the elements of the eruption has not changed.
Under attack is detected smooth and shiny bright red on the surface. This the blood capillaries thin-walled, covered by the thin film. They become visible due to thinning of the upper layers of the skin. Normal structure of the skin affected by the fact that the keratinocyte cells do not mature and do not have time for normal differentiate.
Scalp psoriasis is a psoriatic of the platelet, which in a great extent rise above the environment and the skin. Are densely covered scales, reminiscent of dandruff. When hair is are the dead. Breakouts can be not only below the hair, but also on your soft skin, on the neck and behind the ears. These changes are explained active of the division of keratinocytes in areas infested by
Psoriasis stop and the palms of the hands causes a strong thickening of the horny layer of the skin in these areas of the body. The skin becomes thick, rough. Often, it will permeate the crack. This is caused by the intense division of the cells that multiply up to 8 times faster than normal, but not deleted on time with the surface of the skin.
Psoriasis of the nails is characterized by a variety of symptoms. But the greater value of the two main types of injury to nails of the disks:
- For the kind of "thimble". In the nail plate are formed small in the fovea, similar to the traces of the punctures of the needle.
- By the type of the onychomycosis. The defeats remind you of the fungus in the nails. The nails to thicken, change color, peel. Through nail plate-visible psoriatic papule, surrounded by a red ring. Has the appearance of oil spots, that transpires through the nail.
Signs and symptoms of psoriasis depend on the stage of the disease, which change one to another cyclically throughout the year. As the majority of patients celebrates the "winter" of the type of the disease, when the worsening of the falls in autumn-winter. Improve the state in the summer, because the ultraviolet light of the sun exerts a medicinal action. But some patients suffer from "years" type.
Distinguish the stages of the flow of psoriasis:
- progressive – the appearance of new elements, activates the growth of the existing plates, the pink zone of growth around them, the intensification of the flaking and itching.
- fixed – stopping the growth of papules, the lack of new eruptions, the folding of the top layer of the skin around the psoriatic platelets.
- regressing– the lack of scaling, the disappearance of the platelets and the appearance in its place of plots of pigmentation, indicating that the attenuation process.
As you can see skin eruptions of psoriasis?
Each body is different and reacts differently to the disease. Therefore, the nature of the eruptions can be very varied. This explains the diversity of forms and types of psoriasis.
However, the majority of people the symptoms of psoriasis are similar. This red spots – psoriatic of the platelet, rise of 1 to 3 mm above the level of the healthy skin. Its appearance is due to the cells of the superficial layer of the skin – keratinocytes, are divided into a very active, not getting to mature and become one of the cells of the epithelium. As a result of this reinforced by the increased growth in certain areas of the skin thick. This occurs under the action of the immune cells to release chemicals that cause inflammation in the epidermis of the skin.
The spots are red in color. And if you take off top of scaly psoriatic of the plaque, its surface begins to be covered in blood spray. This is due to the fact that under the influence of T lymphocytes and immune dendritic cells occurs the increased formation of new blood vessels under the plaque. Have pretty thin wall. Is what causes the bleeding psoriatic of the platelet of the minor damage.
Sometimes through the walls of these blood vessels filter the lymph and inflammatory exudate. To the east of cork, blaschke becomes thick, yellowish. Its surface to the touch damp.
The upper part of the plate can be covered in gray, silver or a touch, that has the appearance of wax. Therefore, they have received the name of "packets of lakes". Is Hot the epithelial cells, the rejection of which is altered and accumulate on the surface of the affected area of the skin.
Spots peel, hotter than the rest of the skin, can grow to large sizes. Often the patient feels itching in this place. This is because in the background of the inflammatory process occurs, a cascade of neuro-reflex reactions and allergic reaction.
Another kind of elements – papules. Are small elements of the rash, reminiscent of the hillock. The size of about 1 mm In the middle there is a cavity filled with content. Often placed at the knee and * joints. They remain even in periods when the disease is on the decline.
The first plates occur in places where the skin is more dry and to be in contact with household chemical goods and detergents – in the open areas of the hands, the neck. They can be in any site of the body: the scalp, the face, the trunk, the genitals, the buttocks, the extremities. Unlike fungal diseases, psoriatic eruptions do not occur in the armpits, and the natural folds, where the skin is more moist and oily. The case of some forms of the disease appears only some of the platelets, which do not increase in size. When ladonno-the manner of the defeat will only be found in these areas.
During the aggravations of the elements of the eruption gradually grow in width and merge with the plates. In periods of improving the state (remission) the spots begin to lighten with the environment. Gradually acquire the appearance of the rings and may disappear completely. After the platelets in the body leaves a trace – pigmentation. It can be much lighter or darker than surrounding areas of the skin. Then, as a man to get a tan, the color of the skin usually smoothes out.