Mild psoriasis Many of the most effective agents used to treat severe psoriasis carry an increased risk of significant morbidity including skin cancers, lymphoma and liver disease. In Turkey, doctor fish which live in the outdoor pools of spas, are encouraged to feed on the psoriatic skin of people with psoriasis. These drugs are relatively new, and their long-term impact on immune function is unknown. There are many treatments available but because of its chronic recurrent nature psoriasis is a challenge to treat. Several factors are thought to aggravate psoriasis. As such, quality of life is an important factor in evaluating the severity of the disease. Unlike generalised immunosuppressant therapies such as methotrexate, biologics focus on specific aspects of the immune function leading to psoriasis. Fingernails and toenails are frequently affected (psoriatic nail dystrophy). In the more recent past Fowler's solution, which contains a poisonous and carcinogenic arsenic pound, was used by dermatologists as a treatment for psoriasis during the 18th and 19th centuries. Mild psoriasis. Historically, agents used to treat psoriasis were discovered by experimentation or by accident. Mild psoriasis. Picture guttate psoriasis
The history of psoriasis is littered with treatments of dubious effectiveness and high toxicity. It monly causes red scaly patches to appear on the skin. In Turkey, doctor fish which live in the outdoor pools of spas, are encouraged to feed on the psoriatic skin of people with psoriasis. An alternate viewpoint sees the disease as being an immune-mediated disorder in which the excessive reproduction of skin cells is secondary to factors produced by the immune system. Psoriasis can also cause inflammation of the joints, which is known as psoriatic arthritis. |
