Clinical Dermatological Conditions: Psoriasis - Essay Example

The word “psoriasis” comes from ancient Greece, and means to itch. It has long been recognized that red eruptions appearing on the skin of psoriasis patients usually accompany itchiness.

Although psoriasis is not contagious, patients with this skin condition may have discomfort, which includes but is not limited to pain, itching, restricted motion in their joints, and emotional distress. Psoriasis lesions most often occur on the elbows, knees, scalp, lower back, palms, and soles of the feet, but it can affect anybody's location, for example, it also affects the fingernails, toenails, and soft tissues inside the mouth and genitalia. Thus, the various clinical manifestations of psoriasis make it more than a dermatological nuisance, as it interferes with many normal daily activities, such as the use of hands, walking, sleeping, and sexual activity (Nickoloff and Nestle, 2004). According to Nickoloff and Nestle (2004), approximately 30% of patients suffering from psoriasis attempt suicide, which places the disease on par with other major medical conditions such as depression, heart disease, and diabetes in terms of psychological impact. It can have a significant psychological impact on the suffering individuals, which can lead to low self-esteem, social embarrassment, distorted self-perception, psychological turmoil such as depression and anxiety. Many psoriasis patients feel isolated because of their disease and become self-conscious and socially withdrawn. In the analysis of psoriasis, it is important to understand that once psoriasis starts manifesting itself, there are only remissions and relapses of varying degrees of intensity, and it often improves and worsens in a natural but unpredictable pattern. This distressing skin condition would, more often than not, accompany the sufferer for the rest of his/her life. In short, psoriasis severely impacts a patient’s quality of life, both in terms of their psychological and physical well-being (de Arruda and de Moraes, 2001). The annual cost to society due to psoriasis has been estimated to be more than a staggering sum of US$3 billion (Sander et al., 1993), making it a disease of major socioeconomic importance.

Most investigators regard psoriasis as a multi-factorial disease in which several genes interact with one another and with environmental stimuli. The disease varies in severity depending on inheritance and environmental factors. As a disease entity, psoriasis has distinct clinical presentations in the cutaneous tissue. In order to have a holistic and comprehensive understanding of this common skin disorder, it is important to understand etiology, pathogenesis, clinical features and subtypes, psychological implication, and modern treatment options of psoriasis.

EPIDEMIOLOGY
Psoriasis affects both sexes equally. The onset of the disease can occur at any age but is more frequent around puberty, which corresponds to the ages between 15 and 25. Two further peaks of increased incidence have also been observed at about 30 and 50 years of age, but there is considerable overlap between the three groups (Baker, 2000).