Psoriasis: a symptom that will indicate the disease

A hard-to-treat skin disease that does not threaten life, but significantly worsens its quality due to the fact that the appearance of a person is quite perceptible, is psoriasis. The main symptom, which distinguishes this pathology, is the appearance on the body of a specific rash, "plaques".

There are such spots because of the fact that due to the mainly genetic predisposition skin cells begin to be intensively divided in some areas. This leads to the fact that in these places special chemicals are developed, which exacerbate inflammation. The hearth because of this begins to secrete another component, attracting there lymphocytes. And by themselves these cells further increase the division of skin cells.

How psoriasis starts: symptoms

Most often the disease appears after stress, hypothermia, infectious disease, the introduction of a certain drug in a person who has a disorder in the structure of the gene responsible for dividing skin cells. Pathology can develop at any time, but more often it occurs at a young age. Men and women are sick equally often, for women the disease begins to develop earlier.

Psoriasis symptom is very characteristic, which points to it: it's a plaque. It looks like a spot of pink or red that is raised above the skin. It can itch, but does not hurt, is covered with silver-whitish scales, prone to fusion with other elements. The form it can be in the form of a drop, a coin, rarely it looks like a wart or a yellowish seborrheic crust.

Appear such plaques in the beginning usually on elbows and knees, can be in those places where the skin has been traumatized. More rarely a characteristic rash appears in the area of axillary pits, femoral folds and anogenital area. There are also specific forms of the disease, when the elements, already little resembling the above-described plaque, are located on the soles and palms. These are the initial symptoms of psoriasis.

Defeat can affect other areas: the scalp, nails.

How do you know if this is definitely psoriasis?

Symptom-indicator is checked by a dermatologist. For this, a clean slide is used. They need to gently scrape the plaque.

1. In the beginning, it becomes like a spot that would have formed if the stearin had been smeared onto the skin from a candle.
2. If it is scraped a little more, the stearin is erased, the plaque becomes reddish and shiny.
3. If you rub a little more, you will see red bloody points - the phenomenon of a "blood stain".

Sometimes a person does not know that he has psoriasis: a symptom of his main - a plaque - is not located in a prominent place or does not suggest a thought about this disease, itching is not particularly felt. At the same time, he can feel pain and discomfort in the area of various joints, especially small ones, located between the phalanges of the fingers on the feet and hands. They swell, movements in them become painful. It can be a kind of psoriasis, like arthropathy or psoriatic arthritis.

There is also a complicated form of the disease, like psoriatic erythroderma, which occurs when the hormone preparations that have been treated with psoriasis are abruptly abolished, or the irrational use of antipsoriatic agents. In this case plaques merge into large foci, tend to spread over a large area. The skin on the affected area turns red, swells, becomes tense and painful. The general condition is broken, the body temperature rises. A doctor examining such a patient, after a short period of time, does not see any psoriasis-specific elements. Therefore, it is very difficult for him to decide on a diagnosis.

Thus, in order to establish an accurate diagnosis and the appointment of treatment, you need to consult a dermatologist. Do not risk your health by choosing therapy yourself, on the advice of friends and colleagues. Psoriasis in the absence of treatment, or if it is wrong, can be complicated by erythroderma, and also does not go into remission for a long time, which is very important for the person suffering from it.