What is Psoriasis?

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Psoriasis is a chronic skin inflammatory disease of autoimmune origin that produces thick, swollen, scaly injuries, which can vary regarding its severity and evolution.

Psoriasis is not contagious but can be hereditary.

It can affect any body part, frequently presenting itself in elbows, knees, scalp, abdomen, legs, and back areas.

Approximately 3% of the world's population suffers from psoriasis, which can develop at any age (less frequent in children compared to adults) and affects both men and women.

Generally speaking, psoriasis is a symmetrical monomorphic skin disease, (meaning it does not bring up different types of injuries), which can have limited or extensive injuries.

 

Different variants of psoriasis include:
 

Plaque psoriasis:
The most common form of psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis presents itself with 1-30 cm plaques in any body area, especially knees, elbows, lumbosacral region and scalp. The injuries may last up to several months or even years, and in successive outbreaks they can potentially spread to the chest and other extremities.


Generalized pustular psoriasis / Von Zumbusch psoriasis:
A less frequent variant of psoriasis, which generally appears in patients who already suffer from other types of psoriasis after presenting triggering factors (medications, stress, hypocalcaemia, and other infections). The erythematous plaques can converge within a few hours into small sterile pustules filled with non-infected pus, which quickly dry out, disappear, and reappear during new outbreaks.


Palmoplantar psoriasis:
It is characterized by several outbreaks of sterile pustules on an erythematous base, appearing symmetrically on palms and soles, especially on the eminences of hands and heels.

Scalp psoriasis:
When users present scalp injuries, they usually also suffer from lesions in other body areas. Scalp psoriasis can manifest with scaly patches, similar to those of the skin, or as thick patches of scales attached to the hair.