A skin condition in which the skin cell grows very quickly because of flawed signals in the body's immune system is a disease called psoriasis. In this situation, the cells pile up on the skin surface because the excess skin cells are not shed, and can cause painful lesions. This is a highly common immune mediated disease that affects people in many countries worldwide. In the United States alone, it is estimated that more than seven million people are affected and new cases are diagnosed every year.
Psoriasis is not a communicable disease, so coming into contact with the skin of an affected person will not be of any harm. In this disease, healthy skin cells are seen by the immune system as unwanted invaders or pathogens such as bacteria and viruses and this triggers reactions in the skin cells. Skin cells, often on the elbows and knees, are seen to be over produced and this also can happen in the scalp and also commonly on the feet. The human body's T cells, a type of white blood cell triggers this reaction mistakenly, and this is shown by research from many scientists. Unwanted invaders such as bacteria and viruses are supposed to be the target of these white blood cell types, but instead the immune system attacks skin cells.
There are two types of psoriasis, pustular and nonpustular psoriasis. Pustular psoriasis or GPP (generalized pustular psoriasis) covers the entire body of the person and this is the rare type of psoriasis. When a person has this rare type of disease of the skin, pus-filled blisters can form on the skin instead of plaques. This can happen at any age but is rarely seen in children. The nonpustular psoriasis does not cover the whole person's body, and this is the more common type.
Psoriasis can be chronic and flare ups in the skin can occur at any time because of its unpredictable nature. When flare ups occur, severe itching and pain can be felt. There can also be cracking and bleeding on the skin, which can be a cause of irritation. There is also drug-induced psoriasis, with several drugs described as those that can initiate or aggravate the disease. Understanding the patho-physiology of these drugs can help in the treatment and management of the drug-induced psoriasis disease.
Lesions seen can vary in appearance and this depends on the type of psoriasis that is occurring. General symptoms observed are patches of scaly skin building up usually in scalp, feet, elbows and knees; this is what is known as plaque. Plaque buildup can occur in any part of the skin, not just the aforementioned areas, as well as affecting the color and strength of fingernails and toenails.
Treatment can help in combating this skin disorder, although there is no known cure for this yet. Preventing the disease from progressing can be the goal and this can be done when visiting a dermatologist. Phototherapy is sometimes used as well as the application of topical treatments. One drug used for treatment was made from recombinant humanized monoclonal antibodies, and this drug is Efalizumab. Suppressing the immune response incorrectly happening can be how this drug type works. These types of immunomodulating drugs were developed by scientists who used custom monoclonal antibodies for research and production.
Psoriasis is not a communicable disease, so coming into contact with the skin of an affected person will not be of any harm. In this disease, healthy skin cells are seen by the immune system as unwanted invaders or pathogens such as bacteria and viruses and this triggers reactions in the skin cells. Skin cells, often on the elbows and knees, are seen to be over produced and this also can happen in the scalp and also commonly on the feet. The human body's T cells, a type of white blood cell triggers this reaction mistakenly, and this is shown by research from many scientists. Unwanted invaders such as bacteria and viruses are supposed to be the target of these white blood cell types, but instead the immune system attacks skin cells.
There are two types of psoriasis, pustular and nonpustular psoriasis. Pustular psoriasis or GPP (generalized pustular psoriasis) covers the entire body of the person and this is the rare type of psoriasis. When a person has this rare type of disease of the skin, pus-filled blisters can form on the skin instead of plaques. This can happen at any age but is rarely seen in children. The nonpustular psoriasis does not cover the whole person's body, and this is the more common type.
Psoriasis can be chronic and flare ups in the skin can occur at any time because of its unpredictable nature. When flare ups occur, severe itching and pain can be felt. There can also be cracking and bleeding on the skin, which can be a cause of irritation. There is also drug-induced psoriasis, with several drugs described as those that can initiate or aggravate the disease. Understanding the patho-physiology of these drugs can help in the treatment and management of the drug-induced psoriasis disease.
Lesions seen can vary in appearance and this depends on the type of psoriasis that is occurring. General symptoms observed are patches of scaly skin building up usually in scalp, feet, elbows and knees; this is what is known as plaque. Plaque buildup can occur in any part of the skin, not just the aforementioned areas, as well as affecting the color and strength of fingernails and toenails.
Treatment can help in combating this skin disorder, although there is no known cure for this yet. Preventing the disease from progressing can be the goal and this can be done when visiting a dermatologist. Phototherapy is sometimes used as well as the application of topical treatments. One drug used for treatment was made from recombinant humanized monoclonal antibodies, and this drug is Efalizumab. Suppressing the immune response incorrectly happening can be how this drug type works. These types of immunomodulating drugs were developed by scientists who used custom monoclonal antibodies for research and production.
About the Author:
Armand Zeiders loves blogging about biomedical research. For more info about custom monoclonal antibody production, please go to the PrimmBiotech.com site now.
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