World Psoriasis Day | Don’t brag, this kind of “ringworm” cannot be ignored!

October 29 is World Psoriasis Day. Psoriasis, commonly known as psoriasis, is a stubborn disease that plagues many skin disease patients and can seriously affect their physical and mental health. Today, let's take a closer look at psoriasis.

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What is psoriasis?

Many people believe that psoriasis is contagious, but it is actually a chronic, non-contagious autoimmune disease.

The patient's skin will develop multiple layers of white scales or red patches of varying sizes and thicknesses, which usually occur symmetrically on the body, especially on the sides of the limbs, scalp and nails, and are accompanied by varying degrees of itching.

Psoriasis is a skin metabolism disorder or skin immune dysfunction disease. Every cell and organ in the human body is metabolizing all the time, and the skin is the same, with its own normal metabolism.

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Under normal circumstances, our skin is actually constantly renewing itself in an orderly manner, which is medically called "epidermal turnover", and the cycle is usually 52 to 75 days. Because everything is going on in an orderly manner, normal people cannot feel the changes in the skin "renewal". However, the epidermal turnover time of psoriasis patients is greatly shortened, even to only 3 to 5 days, so these parts that have not undergone normal metabolism will appear as erythematous, flaky, and immature skin.

What is the cause of psoriasis?

The occurrence of psoriasis is usually not caused by a single factor, but may involve many aspects, including genetics, immunity, endocrine system, infection, etc. Drinking, smoking, medication and mental stress may also induce the disease.

1. Genetic factors: family history of the disease;

2. Infection factors: bacterial infection, pathogen infection and viral infection, among which tonsil bacterial infection is the most common;

3. Lifestyle and drug factors: Intake of fish, shrimp, and drinking alcohol can induce psoriasis. Taking metoprolol, any painkillers, tetracycline, metformin, interferon, etc. can also induce psoriasis.

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4. Endocrine and mental factors: Pregnancy can aggravate or relieve psoriasis, and mental factors can induce or aggravate psoriasis;

5. Seasonal factors: The temperature changes greatly between morning and evening in autumn, and people are prone to catching colds. Colds not only induce psoriasis, but also aggravate the condition of those who are already ill and cause relapses in those who have been ill.

Psoriasis is not just skin changes, these complications cannot be ignored!

Did you know? Psoriasis is not only a chronic immune inflammatory skin disease, but also a chronic inflammatory systemic disease that damages not only the skin but also the internal organs. For example, comorbidities such as atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, electrolyte imbalance, non-alcoholic liver disease, anxiety and depression tendencies may occur. Of course, there are also cases with mild symptoms that do not cause comorbidities.

Why does this skin disease cause comorbidities? This is because the immune inflammation that causes psoriasis not only damages the skin, but also causes systemic inflammation of the internal organs. If it grows in exposed areas, it will also affect the patient's self-confidence and social interaction, and cause anxiety and depression. If you suffer from psoriasis with comorbidities, it will threaten the patient's life in severe cases.

Therefore, if you have psoriasis, in addition to skin changes, there are many risks of complications that may even cause disability or endanger your life. There are four major complications of psoriasis that you must pay attention to:

1. Joint changes are the most common complication of psoriasis;

2. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are the troublesome "bad friends" of psoriasis;

3. Metabolic syndrome is psoriasis’ most troublesome companion;

4. Compared with the general population, psoriasis patients are more susceptible to autoimmune diseases and are closely related to an increased risk of malignant tumors.

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For your own health, if you suffer from psoriasis, you should seek medical attention promptly, complete further relevant examinations and receive treatment as soon as possible to prevent the disease from progressing.

Can psoriasis be passed down to the next generation?

About 1/3 of patients have a family history, but the disease is an immune-mediated disease with multi-gene inheritance and is affected by multiple factors such as the environment, so even if you have psoriasis, it may not be passed on to the next generation.

What should psoriasis patients pay attention to in their daily life ? These 6 points are very important!

1. Adjust your diet and daily life to avoid staying up late;

2. Exercise appropriately and keep a happy mood;

3. Maintain adequate drinking water;

4. Pay attention to bathing care and use moisturizing lotion to keep the skin effectively hydrated;

5. Give priority to physical sun protection, such as using a parasol, wearing a hat, wearing a long-sleeved shirt, etc. If you must use sunscreen, it is recommended to choose a sunscreen with fewer additives, a lower SPF, and suitable for sensitive skin;

6. Be careful to avoid eating spicy and irritating foods.

Source: Science Popularization China Comprehensive People's Daily Science Popularization