How psoriasis manifests itself: the main symptoms and types of the disease, treatment methods

If we conditionally generalize all the principles of classification of various diseases that are common in medical circles, they can be divided into two large groups: congenital and acquired.

The picture of how psoriasis manifests itself is rather an intermediate state.

On the one hand, the occurrence of symptoms is due to a genetic predisposition.

On the other hand, their appearance occurs only under the influence of certain exogenous and endogenous causes.

External reasonsthat can provoke the development of symptoms are inflammation of the dermis of an infectious nature, especially against the background traumatic skin injuries, constant nervous shocks associated with the peculiarities of work or the environment in family.

The "internal" factors include:

• inaccuracies in the diet and associated excess weight, deficiency of vitamins and minerals;
• inflammatory lesions of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract;
• various endocrine disorders;
• disorders of metabolic processes.

Varieties of the disease

Along the course, psoriasis is referred to as chronic progressive dermatoses, but unlike other skin diseases, this pathology is prone to complications from the kidneys, organs of vision, cartilage tissue and etc.

Depending on the nature of the rash and their position on the body, several types of pathology are distinguished:

• Vulgar or common psoriasis. Develops gradually from small (1-2 mm) pustules, which are radically different in color from healthy skin. They grow and grow in size up to 2-3 cm, and then they are connected to hyperemic areas. A characteristic and specific sign for psoriasis is the appearance of flaky scales over the foci of the rash. In addition, the symptoms of the disease usually form in places of skin damage (wounds, thermal or chemical burns, abrasions).
• Seborrheic psoriasis, by analogy with seborrhea, this form of pathology manifests itself in areas of accumulation of sebaceous glands (hairy part of the head, chest, upper back, occipital region, folds around the nose on the face and etc.). Unlike other types of psoriasis, the lesions are not covered with silvery scales, but with a grayish-white crust, which is explained by hypersecretion of the sebaceous and sweat glands.
• Palmar-plantar psoriasis it is easiest to identify because of the characteristic features of the localization of lesions. This position of pathology often contributes to the development of a fungal infection. There are three forms of palmar-plantar psoriasis. Papular-plaque occurs with the formation of papules ranging in size from 0.5 to 2.5 cm. Their appearance is no different from those of other types of this disease. The horny form is characterized by the formation of plaques that resemble calluses in appearance. Vesicular-papular psoriasis is manifested by small vesicles against a background of blurred redness, filled with purulent contents.
• Guttate psoriasis usually triggered by an acute or chronic streptococcal infection. It is distinguished by the color of the rash, as a rule, it has a pink-orange tint.
• Intertriginous psoriasisusually occurs in a child, in old age, and in overweight patients. Mostly rashes are formed in the area of ​​skin folds (on the legs, chest, lower abdomen, next to the genitals), this is accompanied by the formation of cracks, pain.
• Psoriasis of nails. Rarely occurs in isolation, usually the defeat of the nail plate is combined with manifestations of vulgar psoriasis on the trunk.

Many medical forums are actively discussing the possibility of developing the most dangerous forms of pathology. These are psoriatic erythroderma, psoriatic arthritis and pustular psoriasis. The latter type of the disease is very dangerous, since it is accompanied by systemic inflammation and without appropriate treatment, the prognosis for the development of pathology is unfavorable.

Symptoms by stage

How psoriasis manifests itself largely depends on its stage. At the initial stage (progression), the rash spreads rapidly. In severe cases, the patient complains of fever, general malaise, swollen lymph nodes, pain and stiffness in the joints, weakness. Itching is accompanied by insomnia, irritability.

At the second stage (stationary), the patient's condition is stabilized. Epidermal manifestations of psoriasis subside and become less pronounced than in the first stage. Then the disease regresses. The rash gradually disappears. The exception is papules located around the elbow and knee joints. The rash in these areas usually remains for a long time, but is not accompanied by any symptoms other than a change in skin pigmentation.

How to treat elbow psoriasis: diagnosis and drug therapy

Usually, the disease is diagnosed on the basis of a family history and the results of an immunogram. They also pay attention to the data of scraping from the skin, possible manifestations of an inflammatory reaction. In addition, in various videos dedicated to problems in dermatology, doctors talk about the importance of identifying the causes of the disease.

The tactics of how to treat psoriasis on the elbows and knees are not much different from the treatment of other forms of the disease. Almost all patients are prescribed ointments and creams with corticosteroids.

Usually these are modern and highly effective means:

• Locoid;
• Ftorocort;
• Polcortolone;
• Flucinar;
• Beloderm;
• Apulein.

The listed drugs belong to the group of potent medicines for the treatment of psoriasis, so it is enough to apply them once a day. After achieving the result (this is a decrease in the intensity of itching and hyperemia), the patient is transferred to ointments with a less pronounced effect (Hayton, Deperazolone, Prednisolone, Dermatop).

A mandatory component of treating elbow psoriasis is the use of adjuvants to moisturize the skin. Medicines with zinc are not suitable for these purposes, since they have a drying effect, and the skin on the outer surface of the hands is already prone to increased dryness and flaking.

Therefore, they recommend:

• Salicylic ointment;
• Bepanten;
• D-panthenol;
• Naftalan ointment;
• Retinoic ointment.

In combination with external agents, phototherapy has a good effect. Modern techniques for its implementation are quite safe and can be used even at an early age.

In addition to drug therapy for the disease, a variety of alternative methods are very common. For example, it is popular to lubricate the affected areas of the body with fresh celandine juice.

How to treat psoriasis on the hands with alternative medicine

Many recipes for folk remedies are based on the following principle: the elimination of skin manifestations is impossible without an internal systemic effect on the body.

How to treat psoriasis on the hands:

• 15 minutes before meals, take a mixture of freshly squeezed beet, carrot and apple juices (50 ml each).
• Before meals, take 3-5 wormwood seeds, while eating - half a teaspoon of cloves, and after eating - a spoonful of powder from dried clover flowers.
• Insist 10 g of celandine herb in 0.5 l of apple cider vinegar for 2 weeks. Then brew daily tea from nettle leaves, dandelion roots or St. John's wort. Add 5 ml of vinegar tincture to a glass of broth to drink during the day. In addition, the same tincture can be applied to the affected skin of the hands, and wrapped tightly on top with a warm blanket. During the procedure, it is recommended to drink hot water mixed with lemon juice.

Regular baths are very useful for treating psoriasis on the hands. For example, a decoction of juniper twigs helps well (100 g per liter of water, pour into boiling water and leave for about an hour, then strain). You can also make a mustard bath. For this 10-15 g dry mustard is dissolved in water at a temperature of 38 °, the duration of the procedure is 10-15 minutes. If the inflammatory process has spread to the joints, fingers are kept in walnut broth.

Before treating psoriasis on the hands, it should be noted that an integrated approach should be used, which involves a combination of traditional medicine, hormonal ointments and moisturizers. It should be remembered that this is an incurable disease prone to constant relapses, so any therapy must be agreed with a doctor.