Not only can psoriasis affect the skin, but it can have devastating effects that can affect your internal organs. The systemic inflammation inside the body that accompanies the disease is often overlooked.
What organs can be affected by psoriasis?
Living with psoriasis can be difficult enough, but new research suggests sufferers may be at a higher risk for other serious diseases affecting vital organs like the heart, lungs and kidneys.
What are the symptoms of internal psoriasis?
The most common form, plaque psoriasis causes dry, raised, red skin patches (lesions) covered with silvery scales. The plaques might be itchy or tender, and there may be few or many. They usually appear on elbows, knees, lower back and scalp.
How is internal psoriasis treated?
Medications
- vitamin D creams, like calcipotriene (Dovonex)
- steroid creams.
- topical retinoids.
- calcineurin inhibitors, such as tacrolimus. (Prograf)
- coal tar.
- medicated shampoos.
- light therapy.
What does psoriasis affect in the body?
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that causes plaques, which are itchy or sore patches of thick, dry, discolored skin. While any part of your body can be affected, psoriasis plaques most often develop on the elbows, knees, scalp, back, face, palms, and feet.
Can psoriasis affect the brain?
Psoriasis affects your brain chemicals.
These make skin cells grow out of control and form scaly plaques. They also change levels of chemicals in your brain that affect your mood. A cytokine called TNF-alpha may affect brain chemicals like serotonin in a way that could lead to depression.
Can psoriasis affect your lungs?
The inflammation associated with psoriasis can affect the lungs and raise the risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is a group of lung conditions or diseases that block airflow and make breathing difficult.
Can psoriasis affect internal organs?
Not only can psoriasis affect the skin, but it can have devastating effects that can affect your internal organs. The systemic inflammation inside the body that accompanies the disease is often overlooked.
Can psoriasis affect the digestive system?
People with psoriasis are 2.5 times more likely to get Crohn’s and 1.6 times more likely to get UC. Some people get a digestive disorder first and psoriasis later. IBD and psoriasis also share a connection with obesity.
What is the life expectancy of someone with psoriasis?
When you start layering all of those comorbid conditions with psoriasis, then, in people who have early age of onset of psoriasis, the loss of longevity may be as high as 20 years. For people with psoriasis at age 25, it’s about 10 years.”
Can psoriasis cause death?
Severe psoriasis is associated with excess mortality and increased risk of cardiovascular death. Population-based data evaluating cause-specific mortality in patients with psoriasis are limited.
Can psoriasis go away permanently?
Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that is not curable and it will not go away on its own. However, the disease fluctuates and many people can have clear skin for years at a time, and occasional flare-ups when the skin is worse.
Can psoriasis go away?
Even without treatment, psoriasis may disappear. Spontaneous remission, or remission that occurs without treatment, is also possible. In that case, it’s likely your immune system turned off its attack on your body. This allows the symptoms to fade.
Can psoriasis affect your nerves?
Finally, the striking finding that psoriasis undergoes remission following loss of innervation, nerve function or nervous system injury provides compelling evidence of a contributory role for nerves in sustaining disease.
What is the root cause of psoriasis?
Psoriasis occurs when skin cells are replaced more quickly than usual. It’s not known exactly why this happens, but research suggests it’s caused by a problem with the immune system. Your body produces new skin cells in the deepest layer of skin.
What happens if psoriasis is left untreated?
Left untreated, patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis could develop psoriatic arthritis (PsA), which affects up to 40% of patients. Similar to rheumatoid arthritis, PsA can cause pain, disability, and permanent joint deformities.