THE PSORIASIS PICTURE

The Guttate Psoriasis Picture

2011-10-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

Guttate psoriasis appears as small red dot-like lesions on the skin. The word guttate is derived from the Latin word gutta meaning "drop." It may be described as looking like a drop of psoriasis.

Guttate is the most common type of psoriasis occurring mainly in children and young adults.Guttate psoriasis occurs when the infection-fighting white blood cells within the body called T-cells malfunction. Under normal circumstances, T-cells fight against foreign invaders. However, in individuals with psoriasis, the T-cells actually attack the skin. The rash of psoriasis results from a combination of damage to the skin by T-cells, inflammation in the skin, and overproduction of new skin cells.

Events that can trigger an attack of guttate psoriasis include: tonsillitis, a cold, chicken pox, immunizations, physical trauma, psychological stress, illness, and the administration of anti-malarial drugs.

WHAT IS PLAQUE PSORIASIS ?

2011-08-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

The most common form of psoriasis is Plaque psoriasis also known as psoriasis vulgaris (vulgaris meaning common). The characteristic symptoms include inflamed skin lesions topped with silvery white scales. The scales are actually a buildup of dead skin cells. The symptoms can be very itchy, irritating and painful. Plaque psoriasis affects over 90% of psoriasis sufferers. The chronic plaque-type is very much an adult condition and is seldom seen in children.

Plaque psoriasis may result from an imbalance in the immune system in which the white blood cells that protect the body from infection abnormally trigger a reactive inflammation in the skin. This abmormal reaction will also cause skin cells to grow faster than normal and to pile up in raised patches on the outer surface of the skin creating the raised plaque.

The Many Faces of Psoriasis

2011-07-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

The symptoms of psoriasis can vary from person to person. Chronic flaky patches that crack and bleed on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet are typical of hand and foot psoriasis. A large red area containing pustules. The most common type of pustular psoriasis affects the palms and soles.

Red lesions covered with white scales, while they can appear anywhere on the body, the most commonly affected areas are the scalp, knees and elbows are indicative of
Guttate Psoriasis.

Smooth inflamed lesions in skin folds in the groin, under the breast, and armpits. Typically, it appears as smooth inflamed lesions without scaling and is particularly subject to irritation due to rubbing and sweating are common with Inverse Psoriasis.Scaly red skin over all the body.

Psoriasis accompanied by arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis generally affects the fingers and toes, but it can involve the wrists, lower back, knees and ankles.

Red, scaly patches that are sometimes lumpy on the scalp or ears.
Pits in the nails of various size, shape, and depth. Sometimes the nails develop a yellowish color and become thick.

Keeping Psoriasis in Check

2011-05-12T09:53:00.000-07:00

In our society today we have a tendency to want everything bigger, larger and more of it. This has led to an economy that’s imploding upon itself. The same thing is happening when it comes to the treatment of psoriasis. If a little is good, then we deduce that a lot must be better. This theory has brought us to a point where we have upset the balance of our skin resulting a worsening of the psoriasis symptoms. As psoriasis progresses the skin condition deteriorates and we take an even more aggressive approach to the treatment of the symptoms of psoriasis. This creates a condition in which the skin can no longer sustain itself in the environment we have created for it and it collapses in much the same way the economy has.

The need exists to create an environment that sustains the skin, allows it to thrive and keeps the symptoms of psoriasis in check. Ask yourself, what are the basic requirements for survival? The answer quite simply is water, air and nourishment. These are the basic elements our skin also requires.

If our skin is depleted of water, it reacts in a number of ways:

1. The skin may produce more oil to attempt to replace the protective barrier that keeps out bacteria and germs. When our skin is oily we often abuse it by trying to strip off the oil with harsh astringents and toners. We create a never-ending cycle that keeps getting worse. Again bigger, larger and more causes that implosion of the skin’s balance.

2. When the skin is dehydrated it appears drier, wrinkles become more pronounced. Again we over do it and think if we can just peel or exfoliate this layer of skin off we will have some new skin we haven’t damaged yet. But a lack of hydration will affect even the lower layers of the skin.

The solution is simple – re-hydrate the skin. The world needs water to survive and so do we. Our skin as the body’s largest organ is the first to show the signs of stress from a lack of water.

If our skin lacks the nourishment it requires it reacts in many subtle ways. You can’t feel hunger pangs in your skin but the signs are there –redness, plaques,and rough patches of skin are all indicators that your skin is lacking a basic nutrient. The balance is upset and the skin is trying to find a way to correct the problem. We need to listen to our skin and create a proper pH balance instead of over-reacting and over-medicating which only makes it worse.

Psoriasis and Summer

2011-05-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

Warmer weather creates a desire to be outdoors. The sunshine, which feels so refreshing, can be problematic for psoriasis sufferers. Psoriasis-Ltd has found that total skin care and psoriasis treatment involves much more than treating the damage that has already occurred. Effective psoriasis treatment and skin care also involves preventive skin care. The use of sunscreens is just one of these preventive skin care measures.

Sunscreens are designed to protect against sunburn (UVB rays) and generally provide little protection against UVA rays. UVA rays have a depressing effect on the immune system, and are therefore a "setup" for other dermatological problems such as psoriasis. Sunscreens work by reacting chemically with the skin cells to protect them from the UVB rays of the sun. For those who suffer with psoriasis, the ingredients in protective sunscreens can actually cause a sunburn-like photosensitive reaction. This reaction includes a rash or itchy red breakouts that can persist for days giving an appearance similar to psoriasis.

Studies by the Australian Journal of Dermatology indicate that 81% of the reactions caused by photosensitive persons were caused by two primary ingredients- oxybenzone and butyl methoxydibenzoyl methane. They prevent sunburn by absorbing the ultraviolet (UVB) rays. Most chemical sunscreens contain from 2 to 5% of benzophenone or its derivatives (oxybenzone, benzophenone-3) as their active ingredient. Benzophenone is one of the most powerful free radical general known to science. It is used in industrial processes to initiate chemical reactions and promote cross-linking. Benzophenone is activated by ultraviolet light. The absorbed energy breaks benzophenone's double bond to produce two free radical sites. Most chemical sunscreens cause various degrees of redness and sensitivity to psoriasis sufferers.

If in spite of your best intentions, you do get too much sun, there are steps you can take to minimize the discomfort to the skin. Gently wash the sunscreen off and apply one to two drops of Jojoba Oil. Jojoba oil when applied while the skin is still wet will not leave a greasy residue but will penetrate and help heal the skin. It seals the water in and serves as a thin layer of soothing moisturizer. Jojoba oil is most commonly used for the maintenance of healthy skin. Jojoba oil helps promote healing of the skin in many ways. Jojoba oil contains antimicrobial properties, meaning it actually discourages the growth of some bacterial and fungal microbes that attack the skin. Because the chemical composition of jojoba closely resembles that of the skin’s natural sebum, so it is easily absorbed.

Psoriasis

2011-01-26T08:31:00.000-08:00

Psoriasis by any other name might once have been called leprosy! The skin condition known as Psoriasis has existed for centuries. Signs of psoriasis have been found on mummified bodies in tombs dating from the time of the early Egyptians. Psoriasis was referenced in the Bible when is known to have been confused with leprosy, leading to many people with psoriasis being ostracized in the middle ages. Today we have a much better understanding of psoriasis, it’s causes and methods of treating it. We now know that psoriasis is multifactor skin condition that is linked to numerous genetic, immunological and environmental factors. Many scientists believe that a biochemical stimulus triggers the abnormally high skin growth, which in turn causes the skin lesions to develop.

Winter Weather Poses Unique Challenges For Psoriasis Sufferers

2011-01-17T10:11:00.000-08:00

Winter weather presents unique challenges in the management and treatment of psoriasis.
Cold winter weather and dry and indoor heat can rob the body of needed moisture and cause psoriasis symptoms to flare or worsen. The condition becomes even more severe when the stress of the holidays and winter illnesses combine and compromise the immune system.
“The physical and emotional discomfort felt by those with psoriasis can be challenging throughout the year,” says dermatologist Mark Lebwohl, M.D., professor and chairman, department of dermatology, the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. “Due to winter’s effect on the skin, patients should diligently monitor their condition carefully.”
Psoriasis is most commonly characterized by areas of thick, red, white or scaly patches on the skin’s surface. Psoriasis is caused by the unusually rapid growth of skin cells that can build up on the skin’s surface -- usually around the knees, elbows, scalp, hands, feet or lower back -- and cause itching and severe discomfort.

Psoriasis treatments are often selected based on the patient’s health, age, lifestyle and symptoms.
* Topical medications applied to the skin are used to treat mild to moderate psoriasis. Topical tretament is usually begun at the first signs of the condition.
* Systemic medications treat the entire body and are often reserved for patients whose psoriasis is not responsive to topical medications or phototherapy.
* New biologic treatments, which target the precise immune responses involved in the development of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, are used to treat moderate to severe conditions forms of psoriasis.
* Phototherapy, or ultraviolet light treatment, is reserved for moderate to severe cases of psoriasis that do not respond to topical therapy.

“Patients with psoriasis should review their treatment options since many innovative treatments and therapies now exist that can greatly improve the quality of life for people with psoriasis,” adds Dr. Lebwohl. One of the more innovative approaches to psoriasis treatment is Psoriasis-ltd. The key to Psoriasis-Ltd is its simplicity. It delivers many well-known and well-documented anti-imflamatory minerals directly to the skin, without the side effects that accompany most psoriasis treatments.

Psoriasis-Ltd for the Treatment of Psoriasis

2010-10-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis-Ltd is a blend of soothing, beneficial all-natural minerals specially formulated to improve the appearance of psoriasis and the texture of psoriasis affected skin. Patients have seen an excellent improvement in the appearance of their skin condition after stopping their previous psoriasis treatments and starting the application of Psoriasis-Ltd III. We are now in our seventh successful year of serving patients throughout the world. Over 98% of those using Psoriasis-Ltd III receive the satisfaction that they had been dreaming of for many years. Psoriasis-Ltd III does not stain clothes or bedding, does not smell, and dries invisibly on the skin in less than 20 seconds.

Treating Psoriasis

2010-10-05T00:21:00.000-07:00

The treatment of psoriasis requires a highly motivated patient. The course of psoriasis ebbs and flows worsens and then improves, requiring constant attention to the changing cycle of treatment and management. Most types of psoriasis go through cycles, flaring for a few weeks or months, then subsiding for a time or even going into complete remission.
The primary goal in treating psoriasis is to control the itching and reduce inflammation. Treatment of psoriasis must involve some lifestyle changes. Treatment of psoriasis is generally based on the sufferer’s age, the severity of their psoriasis condition, and the type of psoriasis they have. Keeping the skin well hydrated is important in the treatment of psoriasis. If itching is severe antihistamines may be considered.
Psoriasis tends to flare-up when the person is exposed to certain trigger factors. Conditions that may cause flare-ups include changes in climate, infections, stress, and dry skin. Also, certain medicines, most notably beta-blockers, which are used in the treatment of high blood pressure, and lithium or drugs used in the treatment of depression, may cause an outbreak or worsening of the disease. Mild cases of psoriasis may be a nuisance. But more severe cases can be painful, disfiguring and disabling. Lack of sunlight and low indoor humidity in the winter months can cause the psoriasis symptoms to worsen.
Moisturizers such as jojoba oil, bath oils, and soap substitutes can be applied to the affected areas as frequently as required to relieve itching, scaling and dryness. Moisture therapy helps to restore one of the skin's most important functions, which is to form a barrier to prevent bacteria and viruses getting into the body and therefore help to prevent a rash becoming infected. Moisturizers are safe and rarely cause an allergic reaction. Occasionally, products with lanolin may cause a reaction. Ideally, moisturizers should be applied three to four times a day. Apply in a gentle downward motion in the direction of hair growth to prevent accumulation of cream around the hair follicle (this can cause infection of the follicle).

Defining Psoriasis

2010-07-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

A general picture of psoriasis can encompass different stages. Some people may experience limited psoriasis while others may experience more widespread psoriasis.
Psoriasis can trace its cause to a hyper proliferation of the epidermis, concomitant inflammation, and vascular changes, which occur based on combined genetic and environmental factors. Psoriasis does not discriminate - it occurs equally in men and women and is rarely life threatening.

Psoriasis is defined by silvery-white scaly patches of various size seen most commonly on the knees, elbows, and scalp. Psoriasis occurs when skin cells mature at an accelerated rate. On a normal basis, skin cells grow, mature, and shed about once a month. Skin cells of a person with psoriasis grow nearly seven times faster and build up at the skin's surface resulting in red, raised, scaly patches and lesions.

While there is currently no cure for psoriasis, in isolating the cause, you can effect a treatment control of your psoriasis. Lifestyle changes are part of the the whole treatment picture. Controlling the cause can be its own cure!

What is Psoriasis?

2010-06-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition in which new skin cells grow too fast. This causes thick, dry, scaly patches of skin to form in areas where the old skin hasn't shed quickly enough.
If you've been diagnosed with psoriasis, there are several things you can do to help manage flare-ups.

Psoriasis Skin Care Tips Include:

Keep your skin moist.
Apply creams and ointments slowly and gradually in the direction of your hair's growth.
Avoid using very hot water when bathing or showering.
Use mild soaps and deodorants.
Use brushes with soft bristles. Wash your hair gently and let it dry naturally whenever possible.
Avoid picking or scratching skin and skin injuries. An injury to the skin can cause psoriasis patches to form at the site.

Home Remedy for Psoriasis

2010-06-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

Turmeric is a popular home remedy for psoriasis. Turmeric paste is easy to make and many people claim it has significantly improved their psoriasis symptoms.

To make the paste:
Pour 1/4 tsp. or more of turmeric powder in a non-porous bowl (glass, ceramic or metal). That amount is enough to treat a small, quarter-size area. Use more turmeric if treating larger areas of the skin. Mix enough water into the turmeric powder to make a thick, smooth paste--about the consistency of mud. Pour one drop of water into the turmeric powder at a time, while stirring the mixture with a spoon to remove any lumps. If you accidentally use too much water, add more turmeric powder to obtain the desired consistency. Spread a thin layer of turmeric paste onto the psoriasis-affected areas of skin, before bedtime. Use enough paste so that you cannot see the underlying skin, but not so much that the paste is falling off. Wrap a piece of gauze around the skin treated with turmeric paste to keep the paste in place. Leave the turmeric paste on your skin, covered with the gauze, overnight. Remove the gauze and wash the turmeric paste off of your skin using warm water.

Curcumin "is the active ingredient in turmeric responsible for inhibiting skin growth factors that lead to psoriasis scales, according to Volume 595 of the journal Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology."

Be aware the paste will turn your skin orange for a while but will eventually fade, hopefully along with your psoriasis! Does it work? Old home rememdies sometimes have a solid basis and sometimes will cause more harm. Always use caution when exploring home remedies for any condition.

Want to treat your psoriasis without turning orange? One solution is Psoriasis-Ltd, a soothing blend of minerals safely designed to improve the sympotms of psoriasis.

The Picture of Psoriasis

2010-06-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

In the clinical picture, psoriasis can trace its cause to a hyper proliferation of the epidermis, concomitant inflammation, and vascular changes, which occur based on combined genetic and environmental factors.

A general picture of psoriasis can encompass different stages. Some people may experience limited psoriasis while others may experience more widespread psoriasis. Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition affecting over 6 million people in the United States alone. Psoriasis occurs equally in men and women and is rarely life threatening. Psoriasis generally begins between the ages of 15 and 35, but it is possible for it to occur very early or very late in life.

Psoriasis is characterized by silvery-white scaly patches of various size seen most commonly on the knees, elbows, and scalp. Psoriasis occurs when skin cells mature at an accelerated rate. On a normal basis, skin cells grow, mature, and shed about once a month. Skin cells of a person with psoriasis grow nearly seven times faster and build up at the skin's surface resulting in red, raised, scaly patches and lesions.
Although some sufferers complain of itching, it is not very common in the psoriasis picture. Only 30% of people with psoriasis complain of itching. Development of psoriasis is caused by genetic factors.

While there is currently no cure for psoriasis, in isolating the cause, you can achieve an effective treatment control of your psoriasis. Lifestyle changes are part of the the whole treatment picture. Controlling the cause can be its own cure! Psoriasis-Ltd can help.

What is Guttate Psoriasis?

2010-06-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

Guttate psoriasis is a type of psoriasis characterized by small red dots (or drops) of psoriasis. Guttate comes from the Latin word gutta meaning "drop."

This type of psoriasis often appears on the trunk, arms and legs. The lesions may have some scale.

Guttate psoriasis frequently appears suddenly following a streptococcal infection or viral upper respiratory infections. There are also other events that can precipitate an attack of guttate psoriasis: tonsillitis, a cold, chicken pox, immunizations, physical trauma, psychological stress, illness, and the administration of anti-malarial drugs.

Guttate psoriasis is many small patches of psoriasis, all over the body, and often happens after a throat infection. Guttate Psoriasis most often affects children and young adults. It appears as small, red bumps-the size of drops of water-on the skin. It usually appears suddenly, often several weeks after an infection such as strep throat.

SYMPTOMS OF PSORIASIS

2010-05-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

Individuals with psoriasis experience symptoms such as itching, cracking, stinging, burning, or bleeding. Lack of sunlight and low indoor humidity in the winter months can cause the psoriasis symptoms to worsen. The affected skin may crack at the joints where the body bends, or in areas where the individual scratches. Scratching should be strictly avoided, because it can cause bleeding and infection. Psoriasis has also been known to cause pits or dents to form in fingernails and toenails. There is also the possibility that the soft tissue inside the mouth and genitalia can be affected.

New skin cells take about a month or so to move from the deepest skin layer where they're produced, to the surface where they die and flake off. With psoriasis, the entire skin cell life cycle takes only days leading to an accumulation on the skin surface causing irritation, itching and redness.

People with psoriasis may notice that there are times when their skin worsens, then improves. Conditions that may cause flareups include changes in climate, infections, stress, and dry skin. Also, certain medicines, most notably beta-blockers, which are used in the treatment of high blood pressure, and lithium or drugs used in the treatment of depression, may cause an outbreak or worsening of the disease.

Causes of Psoriasis

2010-04-28T11:46:00.000-07:00

There are many ideas about the cause of psoriasis. Heredity plays a role in the development of psoriasis. It has been noted that individuals who have a family member with a severe case of psoriasis tend to experience early onset of the disease. Many psoriasis researchers have found that a biochemical stimulus may trigger the abnormally high skin growth, which in turn causes the skin lesions of psoriasis. Other research studies indicate that psoriasis may be a disorder of the immune system. The T cell, a white blood cell, normally works to fight off infection and disease. Scientists believe that having an abnormal immune system causes abnormal activity by T cells in the skin. These abnormally active T cells cause skin inflammation and increased cell production. Diet and vitamin influences have also been thought to play a role in psoriasis development and progression.

The Many Types Of Psoriasis

2010-03-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis can occur in several different forms. All types of psoriasis are caused when the infection-fighting white blood cells, called T-cells, malfunction. Under normal circumstances, T-cells fight against foreign invaders. However, in individuals with psoriasis, the T-cells actually attack the skin. The rash of psoriasis results from a combination of damage to the skin by T-cells, inflammation in the skin, and overproduction of new skin cells. To effectively treat your psoriasis, you must first identify the type of psoriasis you have.

Out of Control Immune Cell May Affect Psoriasis

2009-11-17T10:13:00.000-08:00

Scientists Discover Cells That Control Inflammation in Chronic Disease
ScienceDaily (Nov. 17, 2009) — A new type of immune cell that can be out of control in certain chronic inflammatory diseases, worsening the symptoms of conditions like psoriasis and asthma, is described for the first time this week in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The authors of the study, from Imperial College London, the Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata in Rome and the Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM) in Munich, hope their discovery could lead to new treatments for these diseases that would bring the cells under control.

The new cell described in the study, called a Th22 cell, is a kind of T-helper cell. These cells are white blood cells that help to activate other immune cells when the body is infected by a pathogen, such as a virus or bacterium. They also control inflammation in the body to help fight off infection.

According to the new study, Th22 cells play a special role in overseeing and coordinating immune cells that cause inflammation. In chronic and allergic inflammatory diseases like psoriasis and allergic eczema, Th22 cells appear to be malfunctioning, leading to excessive inflammation, which can worsen symptoms.

The researchers hope that it may ultimately be possible to treat chronic skin and possibly also airway diseases by targeting Th22 cells with new drugs.

Dr Carsten Schmidt-Weber, one of the lead authors of the study from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, said: "We are seeing an increase in chronic diseases like skin and airway disease because of changes in people's lifestyles. These diseases can have a big impact on people's lives and patients can face a constant battle to keep their symptoms at bay. We are very excited about discovering this new subset of T-helper cells, as we believe it could provide a new target for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases in the future."

The researchers discovered Th22 cells by looking at skin samples from people with psoriasis, atopic eczema and allergic contact dermatitis. They analysed the samples and found a completely new type of cell. The researchers examined the molecules the cells made and found that one of them was a signalling molecule called interleukin-22 (IL-22). This signalling molecule warns tissues that inflammation or infection is going to occur, so the tissues can get ready to recognise and attack pathogens or protect themselves against inflammation. The effect of this can be either protective or detrimental -- for example, IL-22 molecules and Th22 cells can cause skin cells to grow too quickly, resulting in painful, flaking skin.

The authors of the new study hope that their new discovery will provide scientists developing treatments for inflammatory disorders with a new cellular drug target. The researchers are now investigating the role of these cells in greater detail and exploring their role in disease progression. In addition, Dr Schmidt-Weber and his colleagues want to know how the cells are generated in the body and whether there is any way to control these cells before they cause unwanted damage.

Introducing Psoriasis-Ltd

2009-10-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis-Ltd is a blend of soothing, beneficial minerals specially formulated to work synergistically with your skin to improve the appearance of skin-related conditions. Psoriasis sufferers have seen an excellent improvement in the appearance of their skin condition after stopping their current treatments and applying Psoriasis-Ltd III. Most psoriasis sufferers become frustrated by spending many years and dollars in their search for the best treatment.

Psoriasis-Ltd is now in their seventh successful year of serving psoriasis sufferers throughout the world. Over 98% of Psoriasis-Ltd III users report great satisfaction with the condition of their skin even where adverse symptoms of skin problems were present for years. Psoriasis-Ltd III does not stain clothes or bedding, does not smell, and dries invisibly on the skin in less than one minute.

Scaly, Flaky Ears Could Be a Sign of Ear Psoriasis

2009-10-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis is commonly found in the ears too. Ear Psoriasis can appear as dry scales in the ear canal. Psoriasis in the ears can cause scale buildup that blocks the ear canal. This scaling, when combined with normal earwax, can sometimes produce the physical blockage of the external ear canal leading to a temporary decrease in hearing. Psoriasis generally occurs in the external ear canal, not inside the ear or behind the eardrum. It also occurs behind the ear so this area has to be checked to look for the plaques if the diagnosis of psoriasis is considered. Dryness of the skin in the ear, with some scaling is characteristic of psoriasis. Ear psoriasis generally occurs in the external ear canal, not inside the ear or behind the eardrum.

Psoriasis of the ears occurs in approximately 18 percent of all patients at some time.

The eardrum is easily damaged. It is best to avoid picking and scratching the affected areas of the ear. Careful cleansing of the ear area can be done using over-the-counter ear-cleaning kits that involve squirting small amounts of fluid into the ear and letting it drain. Plain warm water, followed by a thin layer of mineral oil applied with a cotton swab, is also effective for some people. Wearing wax ear plugs at night helps to keep the affected ear canal from drying out and thereby reduces the severity of ear psoriasis.

Ocular Symptoms May Occur With Psoriasis

2009-10-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

Ocular symptoms may occur in approximately 10% of psoriasis patients. Ocular involvement is more common in men than in women. It is rare to have involvement of the eye prior to skin involvement of psoriasis. Ocular psoriasis can cause inflammation of the eye, dryness and discomfort. When psoriasis affects the eyelids, scales may cover lashes. The edges of the eyelids may become red and crusty. If inflamed for long periods, the rims of the lids may turn up or down. If the rim turns down, lashes can rub against the eyeball and cause irritation. In a prolonged ocular episode vision impairment may occur.

The ophthalmic signs of ocular psoriasis can vary widely, including Blepharitis, Conjunctivitis, Uveitis and Iritis. There have been reported cases of secondary corneal involvement resulting in keratitis.

Blepharitis is the most prevalent ocular occurrence in psoriasis. Erythema, edema, and psoriatic plaques may develop. Blepharitis is a common inflammatory ocular condition that affects the eyelids. It usually causes burning, itching, and irritation of the lids. Other common symptoms include sandy, itchy eyes, red and/or swollen eyelids, crusty, flaky skin on the eyelids, and dandruff. In severe cases, this ocular condition may also cause sties, irritation, and inflammation of the cornea leading to keratitis and conjunctiva (conjunctivitis). Blepharitis, usually a chronic problem, can be controlled with extra attention to lid hygiene. However, it may also be caused by an infection, which would require treatment with a prescription medication. The key to controlling blepharitis is to keep the eyelids and eye lashes clean. Remember to remove all mascara and make-up before going to bed.

Ocular psoriatic conjunctivitis usually occurs in association with eyelid margin involvement of a psoriasis episode. Psoriatic plaques can extend from the lid onto the conjunctiva. Conjunctivitis, also known as pinkeye, is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, the thin, clear tissue that lies over the white part of the eye and lines the inside of the eyelid. Conjunctivitis is caused by viruses, bacteria, irritants such as shampoos, dirt, smoke, and pool chlorine, and allergies such as dust, pollen, or an allergy specific to contact lens wearers. The symptoms of conjunctivitis differ based on the cause of the inflammation, but may include:redness in the white of the eye or inner eyelid, increased amount of tears, a thick yellow discharge that crusts over the eyelashes, especially after sleep, green or white discharge from the eye, an itchy or burning sensation in the eyes, blurred vision and/or an increased sensitivity to light.

Uveitis and iritis frequently arise as a complication of psoriatic arthritis or lupus, in which the body's immune system attacks its own healthy tissue. Uveitis is an inflammation of the uvea, the middle layer of the eye's surface. The uvea includes the iris, the colored area at the front of the eye. When uveitis is localized at the front of the eye, it's called iritis. Iritis is an inflammation of the iris, a part of the eye. Symptoms include eye pain, sensitivity to light, and/or blurry vision and are often confused with the symptoms of conjunctivitis. Uveitis may affect only the fluid that fills the eye, but may also affect the small blood vessels behind the retina.

Symptoms of uveitis can include:
redness in the eye,
sensitivity to light,
blurred vision,
pain in the eye or "floaters" in the field-of-vision.

Early detection and treatment is of the utmost importance. Untreated uveitis can cause irreversible damage to the delicate eye tissue, and it represents the third most common cause of preventable blindness in the nation.

Keratitis is one of the more serious conditions, which may occur in relation to ocular psoriasis. Keratitis is a term used to cover a range of ocular conditions where there is infection or inflammation of the cornea. This condition may result in severe eye pain, blurry vision, and sensitivity to light. Medical evaluation and treatment of keratitis is absolutely essential. Minor corneal infections are commonly treated with anti-bacterial or anti-fungal eye drops. If the problem is more severe, a person may receive more intensive antibiotic treatment to eliminate the infection and may even require steroid eye drops to reduce inflammation. Corneal involvement with ocular psoriasis is relatively rare. It usually occurs as a secondary to eyelid or conjunctival complications, such as dryness, trichiasis, or exposure.

Ocular psoriasis shares many similar symptoms to ocular rosacea. Ocular rosacea can cause a persistent burning or gritty feeling in the eyes. For others, ocular rosacea manifests itself as inflamed and swollen eyelids with small-inflamed bumps, eyelashes that may fall out, compounded by bloodshot eyes. The most frequent signs, which may never progress to a more severe condition, are chronically inflamed margins of the eyelids with scales and crusts. Pain and sensitivity to light may be present. The ocular complications are independent of the severity of facial rosacea.

Psoriasis and Arthritis

2007-02-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

Psoriasis is a chronic disease of the skin which causes marks of red patches that are covered with scales. These can appear everywhere on the body, including the scalp, elbows, knees, and even the genital region. Nail changes are also common, and psoriasis can also even cause hair loss.
In regards to the correlation between arthritis and psoriasis, there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration. For instance, in regards to the matter of arthritis and psoriasis, one can easily trigger the other, and so it is incredibly important that if you suffer from either one that you make sure to see your physician as soon as possible so that they can properly diagnose you and help you to find the best remedy possible.
The matter of arthritis and psoriasis is an incredibly important one that must be taken into the most serious consideration, and since arthritis and psoriasis are so closely correlated, you may not even recognize the symptoms of one or the other before it is too late. Thus, it is important to get regular checkups so that hopefully your physician will notice the signs and symptoms of either and then appropriately tell you the proper treatment in regards to the diagnosis.
By: John Ugoshowa

Treating Psoriasis With Dermatitis-Ltd

2007-01-03T11:47:00.000-08:00

Sufferers of psoriasis have seen an excellent improvement in one to two weeks in their psoriasis skin condition appearance after stopping their previous psoriasis treatments. It has been found that most of our psoriasis customers have been frustrated for years in spending much money in their search for the best psoriasis treatment. Dermatitis-Ltd is now in its seventh successful year of serving psoriasis sufferers throughout the world with a 100% refund guarantee for any reason within 120 days. Overall, over 98% of Dermatitis-Ltd III users confirm that they have found an improvement in the appearance of their skin where persistant psoriasis problems had been for so long. Dermatitis-Ltd III does not stain clothes, bedding, and does not smell, and usually dries on on the skin in less than one minute while being invisible on the skin.

The Effects Of Nail Psoriasis

2007-01-03T11:46:00.000-08:00

About 50 percent of people with active psoriasis have psoriatic changes in fingernails and/or toenails. In some instances psoriasis may occur only in the nails and nowhere else on the body. Psoriatic changes in nails range from mild to severe, generally reflecting the extent of psoriatic involvement of the nail plate, nail matrix (tissue from which the nail grows), nail bed (tissue under the nail), and skin at the base of the nail. Damage to the nail bed by the pustular psoriasis can result in loss of the nail. Nail changes in psoriasis fall into general categories that may occur singly or all together:The nail plate is deeply pitted, probably due to defects in nail growth caused by psoriasis. The nail has a yellow to yellow-pink discoloration, probably due to psoriatic involvement of the nail bed. White areas appear under the nail plate. These are air bubbles marking spots where the nail plate is becoming detached from the nail bed (onycholysis). There may be reddened skin around the nail.The nail plate crumbles in yellowish patches (onychodystrophy), probably due to psoriatic involvement in the nail matrix.The nail is entirely lost due to psoriatic involvement of the nail matrix and nail bed.

Cardiovascular Risks For Psoriasis Sufferers

2006-12-04T10:21:00.000-08:00

Psoriasis sufferers have an increased frequency of a variety of cardiovascular risk factors including diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, elevated blood cholesterol levels, and smoking, results of a study confirm.
In particular, the current results suggest that psoriasis is associated with key components of the metabolic syndrome -- a clustering of heart risk factors -- and that this association is stronger in cases of severe psoriasis.
This finding is important, say the investigators, given that individuals with as few as one or two metabolic syndrome risk factors are at heightened risk for death due to cardiovascular disease.
"Our other studies suggest that, independent of other risk factors, severe psoriasis itself may be a risk factor for heart attack," Dr. Joel M. Gelfand from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia told Reuters Health. "Therefore, patients with psoriasis should be screened for cardiovascular risk factors, and if these risk factors are present, they should be managed appropriately."
Gelfand and colleagues identified 127,706 patients with mild psoriasis and 3,854 with severe psoriasis. Each psoriasis patient was matched to up to five psoriasis-free control subjects.
Diabetes was present in 7.1 percent of patients with severe psoriasis and in 4.4 percent of those with mild psoriasis compared with just 3.3 percent of controls.
High blood pressure was present in 20 percent of patients with severe psoriasis, 14.7 percent of those with mild psoriasis and 11.9 percent of controls. Elevated cholesterol or "hyperlipidemia" was documented in 6 percent, 4.7 percent, and 3.3 percent, respectively.
Nearly 20.7 percent of individuals with severe psoriasis and 15.8 percent of those with mild psoriasis were obese compared with roughly 13.2 percent of controls. Thirty-one percent of those with severe psoriasis were smokers compared with 28 percent of those with mild psoriasis and 20.7 percent of psoriasis-free controls.
Compared with controls, patients with mild psoriasis had higher adjusted odds of diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and smoking. Patients with severe psoriasis had higher adjusted odds of diabetes, obesity, and smoking.
Additionally, diabetes and obesity were more prevalent in patients with severe psoriasis than in those with mild psoriasis.
Patients with psoriasis should be encouraged to identify and manage their modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, the authors conclude.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, December 2006.

The History Of Psoriasis

2006-11-07T10:30:00.000-08:00

Psoriasis is probably one of the longest known illnesses of humans and simultaneously one of the most misjudged and misunderstood. Some scholars believe psoriasis to have been included among the skin conditions called tzaraat in the Bible.
Tzaraat was a punishment for sin whose cure could only be found in repentance and forgiveness. In more recent times psoriasis was frequently described as a variety of leprosy. It became known as Willan's lepra in the late 18th century when English dermatologists Robert Willan and Thomas Bateman differentiated it from other skin diseases and provided the first rational nomenclature based on the appearance of lesions. Willan identified two categories: leprosa graecorum and psora leprosa.
While it may have been visually, and later semantically, confused with leprosy it was not until 1841 that the condition was finally given the name psoriasis by the Viennese dermatologist Ferdinand von Hebra. The name is derived from the Greek word psora which means to itch.[3]
It was during the 20th century that psoriasis was further differentiated into specific types.

Psoriasis Awareness Week 6th - 10th November 2006

2006-11-01T09:58:00.000-08:00

Psoriasis is a relapsing skin condition that affects around 2% of the population in the UK. Unlike normal skin, with psoriatic skin the cells renew every 2-3 days compared to normal skin cells which mature every 21-28 days. This fast turnover of cells can result in raised itchy red patches of skin covered with silvery scales.
Psoriasis can have a major impact on many different aspects of day to day life. Coping with treatment, dealing with other people's reactions to the condition and even doing things we take for granted like swimming and sunbathing can be awkward for sufferers.

Understanding Plaque Psoriasis

2006-10-31T09:32:00.000-08:00

Plaque psoriasis is the most common form of psoriasis. It is characterized by raised, inflamed (red) lesions covered with a silvery white scale. The scale is actually a buildup of dead skin cells. The technical name for plaque psoriasis is psoriasis vulgaris (vulgaris means common).

Plaque psoriasis may appear on any skin surface, though the knees, elbows, scalp, and trunk are the most common locations. Sometimes the patches of infected skin are large, extending over much of the body. The patches, known as plaques or lesions, can wax and wane but tend to be chronic. These can be very itchy and if scratched or scraped they may bleed easily. The plaques usually have a well-defined edge and, while they can appear anywhere on the body, the most commonly affected areas are the scalp, knees and elbows. However, if the scalp is involved, you may develop psoriasis on the hairline and forehead. The actual appearance of the plaques can depend on where they are found on the body. Plaques found on the palms and soles can be scaly, however they may not be very red in color. This is due to the thickness of the skin at these sites. If the plaques are in moist areas, such as in the creases of the armpits or between the buttocks, there is usually little or no scaling. The patches are red and have a well-defined border. Chronic (or common) plaque psoriasis affects over 90% of sufferers. It appears usually on the scalp, lower back, elbows, arms, legs, knees and shoulders. It is very much an adult condition.

Psoriasis Linked to Higher Risk of Heart Attack

2006-10-11T06:44:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis sufferers may face an increased risk of having a heart attack, a new study suggests.
The risk appears to be most pronounced among younger patients with more severe forms of the disease, according to a paper appearing in the Oct. 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"This study is really quite important," said Liz Horn, director of research for the National Psoriasis Foundation. "There have been a few other studies, but this one is important because it uses such a large database. This is just one more very important study that gives more evidence."
While more studies are needed to confirm the findings, "the potential is there for someone who has severe psoriasis who is in their 50s or 40s, of having a heart attack," said lead researcher Dr. Joel Gelfand, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in Philadelphia.
"The relative risk due to severe psoriasis is similar to the relative risk of having a heart attack from having diabetes," he said. "But the absolute risk [to any one person] is low. If you have severe psoriasis and are in your 40s, the risk of having a heart attack due to psoriasis is about one in 600 per year."
Psoriasis is thought to be an autoimmune disorder, occurring when the body inexplicably begins overproducing skin cells. The extra cells pile up on the surface of the skin before they have a chance to mature, creating bright red patches that cause itching, burning and stinging. The disease affects 2 percent to 3 percent of the adult population.
Some previous studies had shown an association between psoriasis and cardiovascular diseases but those studies could not rule out obesity, smoking and other risk factors as the true culprits.
In this study, the authors examined medical records from a large sample of patients aged 20 to 90 in the United Kingdom. The sample included more than half a million controls (people without psoriasis), more than 125,000 patients with mild psoriasis and almost 4,000 with severe psoriasis.
Heart attacks were more common in patients with severe psoriasis (five heart attacks per 1,000 person-years) and mild psoriasis (four heart attacks per 1,000 person-years) compared with the controls (about 3.6 heart attacks per 1,000 person-years).
Individuals who were younger and had more severe disease had the highest relative risk, with a 30-year-old patient with mild disease having a 29 percent greater risk than a person without psoriasis. A 30-year-old patient with severe psoriasis had about triple the risk and a 60-year-old patient with severe disease had a 36 percent increased risk.
It is thought that earlier-onset psoriasis (before age 40) is more severe than later-onset disease (after age 40). About three-quarters of patients will develop psoriasis before they turn 40.
"People with psoriasis have a bigger tendency to smoke, be obese, have high blood pressure and other things we know are risk factors for cardiovascular disease," Gelfand said. "The thing we've done, which hadn't been done before for psoriasis, was to control for these risk factors. We found that psoriasis still increases the risk of having a heart attack."
The common denominator may be inflammation, the researchers said.
"Immune activity is important for establishing atherosclerosis or blockage of the arteries and promoting them to rupture into a heart attack," Gelfand explained. "The same immune cells involved in this are involved in psoriasis. Other diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis -- which share common immune factors -- [also] have an increased risk of heart disease. This is a scientific theory that has been evolving over the last decade or so but still needs additional studies to confirm."
In the meantime, patients with psoriasis should not be alarmed but should see a physician and be screened for cardiovascular risk factors, Gelfand said. And, if you do have risk factors, you should treat them according to current guidelines. This includes stopping smoking and losing excess weight.
"There needs to start being a conversation between patients and physicians about the risk of cardiovascular disease and what psoriasis patients should be doing to decrease risks," Horn said.
"This is really important information," she said. "But it's still very early in understanding what all this means. I do think general health issues about cardiovascular disease and lifestyle modification is probably a good starting place."
"This study is of great concern and it underscores why we believe the National Institutes of Health should be increasing research on psoriasis," Michael Paranzino, president of Psoriasis Cure Now, said in a staement. "Unlocking the apparent link between psoriasis and heart attack risk may help us improve treatments both for psoriasis and heart attack prevention. The 'heartbreak of psoriasis' is supposed to be a tired punch line, not a literal truth."
"This study suggests that estimates of the impact of psoriasis, both in terms of dollars spent and lives lost, may be undercounting the true burden of this disease," Paranzino added. "With NIH funding having doubled over the last decade but psoriasis funding down 20 percent, this study should serve as a wake-up call that increasing psoriasis research funding should become a national priority. One of the key questions that patients need answered is whether aggressive treatment of psoriasis can reduce this increased heart attack risk."

Remicade Receives Expanded Approval To Treat Psoriatic Arthritis

2006-09-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

The FDA has granted an additional indication for infliximab (Remicade) for inhibiting the progression of structural damage and improving physical function in patients who have psoriatic arthritis. This indication is in addition to Remicade’s already approved indication in dermatology for reducing the signs and symptoms of active arthritis in patients who have psoriatic arthritis. The expanded indication is based on data from the double-blind placebo-controlled IMPACT and IMPACT 2 trials. Here are the key findings from those trials upon which approval was based:
• IMPACT 2 — an analysis of 1 year of radiographs revealed that patients treated with Remicade experienced significant inhibition of the progression of structural damage as compared with patients who received placebo, according to their van der Heijde-Sharp scores.
• IMPACT — By week 16 in this trial, patients who received Remicade experienced significant improvement in functional status with a median improvement of 50% in their scores on the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index, as compared to a 2% improvement in this score for study participants in the placebo group. These scores were typically the same throughout the nearly 2-year study.
• Improved Skin Symptoms — In addition to the above findings, 64% of patients in the IMPACT study achieved a 75% improvement from baseline in their psoriasis symptoms. These improvements also were maintained throughout the nearly 2-year study.Remicade is administered in a dose of 5 mg/kg every 8 weeks during a 2-hour infusion.

Aims And Purposes Of World Psoriasis Day, October 29th

2006-09-25T09:07:00.000-07:00

World Psoriasis Day is an evolving project with more and more individuals, experts and patient associations from around the world getting involved over time.

The aims for WPD were defined by the Steering Committee as follows:

1. Raise awareness about psoriasis: World Psoriasis Day communication and activities should for example explain that psoriasis is a non contagious skin condition that can affect anybody and that people with psoriasis are really no different inside from anyone else. The World Psoriasis Day project should also aim to dispel myths about the condition.

2. Encourage healthcare decision makers to give psoriasis suffers better access to the most appropriate therapies for their condition: World Psoriasis Day should aim to encourage healthcare decision makers for example governments, physicians, carers and all those responsible for psoriasis care/ medicines to allow psoriasis sufferers access to all the most appropriate therapies. For too long psoriasis has not been seen as a priority with patients not always getting access to the most appropriate therapies for their condition.

3. Deliver relevant information and knowledge to interested parties: World Psoriasis Day should aim to provide information and knowledge to those who are affected by psoriasis/ psoriatic arthritis as well as the general public, in order that people can be better informed about the condition, develop a better understanding, enabling them to be more confident to speak about it.

4. Provide a patient voice platform: World Psoriasis Day should provide a platform from which the 'patient voice' can be heard and from which people with psoriasis can be encouraged to speak out about their needs and wants.www.worldpsoriasisday.com

Humira Exceeds Expectations In Treating Psoriasis

2006-09-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

Recently revealed data show a study of Abbott Laboratories (ABT) drug Humira and its ability to treat the skin disease psoriasis exceeded expectations and topped results in an earlier trial, an Abbott official said Tuesday.
Results from the Phase 3 trial have not yet been publicly released and will be presented at a conference early next month. But data in the trial were recently "unblinded," and Humira showed "significantly better efficacy than approved biologics" in psoriasis treatment, said Thomas Freyman, Abbott's chief financial officer.
Freyman spoke at a Bear Stearns conference that was broadcast on the Internet.
The recent trial looked at Humira, a placebo and methotrexate - a standard drug used for years to treat psoriasis - to see which treatment scored best after 16 weeks on a standard scale of psoriasis treatment. The recently revealed data showed that the trial was better than expected and better than a Phase 2 trial, Freyman said.
An Abbott spokeswoman confirmed that the latest trial met its primary endpoint, or goal. Safety information from the trial will be released, along with more specific trial data, at October's European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology conference in Rhodes, Greece.
Humira, which posted $1.4 billion in global sales last year, is currently approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis, arthritis of the spine and psoriatic arthritis - but not psoriasis itself. Abbott plans to file with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for psoriasis-treatment approval in the first half of 2007.
The skin disease is one of multiple indications that could significantly expand Humira's reach and revenue-generating potential if the treatment is approved.
Abbott announced last week that it has filed with U.S. and European regulators seeking approval to market Humira for the treatment of moderate to severe Crohn's disease, a serious and chronic intestinal inflammatory disorder.
Abbott also plans to file with the FDA next year, seeking approval to use Humira to treat juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis, another intestinal inflammatory disease.
Freyman said Abbott continues to target Humira sales of more than $1.9 billion this year, and noted that his company has said that the new indications alone represent a multibillion-dollar opportunity.
"Humira continues to meet or exceed our expectations," he said at the Bear Stearns conference.
"This is a product that's got legs," he added.
Humira is part of a class of treatments called tumor necrosis factor antagonists, or anti-TNF. TNF is a substance believed to play a role in inflammatory conditions.

article by Jon Kamp

Improving Your Psoriasis

2006-09-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

Dermatitis-Ltd is a blend of soothing, beneficial minerals specially formulated to work synergistically with your skin to improve the appearance of psoriasis and psoriasis-related conditions.
Individuals with psoriasis experience skin conditions such as itching, cracking, stinging, burning, or bleeding (ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc.). These symptoms are usually worse in the winter months due to the lack of sunlight and low indoor humidity (Hall 132). The skin is most likely to crack at the joints where the body bends or in areas where the individual fails to refrain from scratching. Scratching can also lead to bleeding and infection, which is why it should be avoided at all costs. This skin condition has also been known to affect fingernails and toenails by causing pits or dents in them. There is also the possibility that the soft tissue inside the mouth and genitalia can be affected. In some cases, individuals experience joint inflammation, which can lead to the development of arthritis symptoms. This condition is known as psoriatic arthritis.

Defining Psoriasis

2006-08-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis is a chronic scaling skin. It may range from just a few spots anywhere on the body to large areas of involvement. It is not contagious or spread able from one part of the body to another or from one person to another. There is no blood test to diagnose psoriasis. The diagnosis is made by observation and examination of the skin. Sometimes microscopic examination of the skin (biopsy) is helpful where the changes are not typical or characteristic. The exact cause of psoriasis is unknown, but hereditary and genetic factors are important. Psoriasis runs in families. This does not mean, however, that every child of a parent with psoriasis will develop psoriasis, but it is common that somewhere down the line psoriasis will appear in families. Psoriasis is not caused by allergies, infections, dietary deficiencies or excesses, or nervous tension.

Types Of Psoriasis

2006-07-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

There are five different types of psoriasis. The most common form of psoriasis is called "plaque psoriasis," which is characterized by well-defined patches of red, raised skin. About 80 percent of people with psoriasis have this type. Plaque psoriasis can appear on any skin surface, although the knees, elbows, scalp, trunk and nails are the most common locations. The other types of psoriasis are: Guttate described as small, red, individual drops on the skin. Inverse psoriasis is smooth, dry areas of skin, often in folds or creases, that are red and inflamed but do not have scaling Erythrodermic psoriasis is characterized as periodic, widespread, fiery redness of the skin. Pustular psoriasis which involves either generalized, widespread areas of reddened skin, or localized areas, particularly the hands and feet (palmo-plantar pustular psoriasis).Typically, people have only one form of psoriasis at a time. Sometimes two different types can occur together, one type may change to another type, or one type may become more severe. For example, a trigger may convert plaque psoriasis to pustular.

The Chronic Psoriasis Picture

2006-07-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

Understanding Psoriasis

2006-07-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis is a common immune-mediated chronic skin disease that comes in different forms and varying levels of severity. Most researchers now conclude that it is related to the immune system (psoriasis is often called an "immune-mediated" disorder).It is not contagious. In general, it is a condition that is frequently found on the knees, elbows, scalp, hands, feet or lower back. Many treatments are available to help manage its symptoms. More than 4.5 million adults in the United States have it. Between 10 percent and 30 percent of people with psoriasis also develop a related form of arthritis, called psoriatic arthritis.

Google Asked To Stop Running Ads Promoting 'Miracle Cures"

2006-06-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

Contact: Michael Paranzino of Psoriasis Cure Now, 202-253-4863 or michael@psorcurenow.org Web: http://www.psorcurenow.org
KENSINGTON, Md., June 20 /U.S. Newswire/ -- "Psoriasis Cure Now," a nonprofit patient advocacy group, today asked internet search giant Google to enforce its own corporate policy against accepting advertisements that promote phony cures for incurable diseases. Google is currently running numerous paid ads designed to deceive people with psoriasis, a painful, incurable and often debilitating immune system disease that affects as many as 7.5 million Americans.
"The Google brand stands for integrity and credibility," said Michael Paranzino, president of Psoriasis Cure Now, "which is why we have asked Google to enforce its own sensible policy prohibiting ads for phony medical 'cures.' People with painful, incurable diseases are particularly vulnerable to scam artists seeking to prey on their misfortune. We hope Google will enforce its policy to protect its users from false and potentially unhealthy advertising."
Google's content policy clearly states: "Advertising is not permitted for the promotion of miracle cures, such as 'Cure cancer overnight!'" ( https://adwords.google.com/select/contentpolicy.html ) Yet as of yesterday, nine different paid ads alongside search results for the word "psoriasis" made just that kind of bogus claim, including: "Psoriasis Can Be Cured"; "New Psoriasis Cure"; "eradicate your psoriasis in 2-3 days"; and "treatment guaranteed to end Psoriasis."
Unfortunately, there is no cure for psoriasis. In fact, scientists believe a dozen or more different genes may play a role in this complex disease, along with environmental triggers that make psoriasis even more difficult to treat.
Google competitor Yahoo! is not running any psoriasis advertisements that make obviously false claims. "We applaud Yahoo! for its practice and look forward to Google enforcing its policy to protect both its users and its corporate image," Paranzino added.

The Genetics Of Psoriasis

2006-06-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

A new gene associated with a variant of psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis has been identified by a research group led by Dr. Ohad Birk at the Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at Ben Gurion University and Soroka Medical Center. The gene discovered by the Israeli researchers is of much interest as it allows the first major molecular insight into why the specific skin cells proliferate excessively, causing these two common skin diseases. Psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis affect 2-3% of the population worldwide and 85% of AIDS patients. Both skin diseases are caused by excessive proliferation of specific cells (keratinocytes) in the skin. To date, there is only very limited understanding as to the molecular mechanisms causing these two common disorders. The two-and-a-half-year study examined an Israeli Moroccan Jewish family with 44 members over five generations who showed signs characteristic of psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis. By using advanced techniques to analyze DNA samples of the affected members of the family and comparing them to normal, unmutated DNA, Ramon Birnbaum, a doctoral student at Birk's laboratory, has succeeded in pinning the beginning of the molecular pathway on a mutation in a gene that is normally expressed, or "turned on" in the keratinocytes. The gene is believed to suppress or regulate cell proliferation and is thought to be a transcription factor, meaning that it switches on other genes, which may also play a role in the disease. When mutated, this regulation malfunctions, enabling excessive proliferation of skin cells and calling in cells of the immune system. The findings, to be reported in this month's issue of Nature Genetics, allow new insights into the mechanism of disease in psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis. In turn, these insights are likely to assist pharmaceutical companies in developing "smart drugs" for these two common skin diseases.

Types Of Psoriasis

2006-06-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

Plaque-type psoriasis is the most common form of the disease and is commonly referred to as psoriasis vulgaris (Camisa 56). It is characterized by inflamed skin lesions topped with silvery white scales. It can assume many different appearances based on where it is located, the activity of the disease, and the treatment being administered. It is most commonly found on the elbows, knees, scalp, sacrum, umbilicus, intergluteal cleft, and genitalia (Camisa 56).
Guttate psoriasis is characterized by small dot-like lesions. It is most common in children and young adults who have a prior history of upper respiratory infection, pharyngitis, or tonsillitis (Camisa 64). The lesions are not as scaly as plaque-type psoriasis and are likely to be found on the trunk and involve the face (Camisa 64).
Pustular psoriasis is characterized by pustules, which are blister-like lesions of non-infectious fluid, and intense scaling. Individuals with pustular psoriasis are often among the most seriously ill and may have to be hospitalized (Camisa 67).
Erythrodermic psoriasis is the most uncommon form of psoriasis and is characterized by intense redness and swelling, exfoliation of dead skin, and pain. Erythrodermic psoriasis usually develops during the course of chronic psoriasis, however in some cases it may be the initial type of psoriasis even in children (Camisa 74). Individuals with this type of psoriasis may experience chills, low grade fever, and may be rather uncomfortable (Camisa 75).
Inverse psoriasis is characterized by smooth inflamed lesions in the body folds -- armpits, under the breast, skin folds of the groin, buttocks, and genitals.
Koebner's Phenomenon psoriasis are psoriatic lesions which appear at the site of injury, infection or other skin psoriasis, or may be a new lesion in an existing case.
The degree of psoriasis can also vary from individual to individual. It ranges in severity from mild (affects less than 2% of body) to moderate (affects 2-10% of body) to severe (affects greater than 10% of the body). Skin injury and irritation, sun exposure, diet, stress and anxiety, medications, and infections have been known to make psoriasis worse.

Folk Remedies Have A Place In The Treatment Of Psoriasis

2006-05-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis is a difficult disorder to treat. But researchers report in the American Journal of Therapeutics that they have identified a natural preparation from a plant that effectively treats mild to moderate psoriasis. The plant, Mahonia aquifolium, grows wild in North America and was used in folk medicine to treat skin diseases.
Psoriasis is a difficult disorder to treat because the severity and distribution of psoriatic plaques varies immensely, and because current medications can have undesirable side effects. This common skin disorder affects more than 4.5 million people in North America.
But according to an article in the American Journal of Therapeutics (March/April 2006, Volume 13, No. 2, p. 121-126), a natural preparation from a plant holds promise for psoriasis sufferers.
Steve Bernstein and other researchers from the Dermatology and Cosmetic Center in Rochester, New York conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study using a proprietary topical cream prepared with Mahonia aquifolium.
This plant, also known as the barberry, Oregon grape, or berberis, grows wild in North and South American and Europe. It was initially used in American folk medicine as an oral medication for inflammatory skin diesases including psoriasis and syphilis.
Of the 200 psoriasis patients enrolled in the trial, 97 completed the 12-week course and 74 completed the same regimen using a placebo cream.
Bernstein and his colleagues traced a statistically significant improvement of the signs and symptoms of moderate plaque psoriasis compared with patients receiving placebo. The medication was well tolerated when applied to the affected area twice a day for twelve weeks. No significant side effects were reported by either the active or control group.
The researchers concluded that the cream containing Mahonia aquifolium extract is a safe and effective treatment for mild to moderate psoriasis.

The Historical Picture Of Psoriasis

2006-05-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis has been around since the days of Greek mythology, more than 2,500 years ago. It was considered a curse from the gods.The Bible refers to psoriasis but mistakenly calls it leprosy. For hundreds of years, people with the disease were ostracized and forced to wander as homeless beggars. Some had to wear warning bells so others could avoid their paths. Some suffered the same fate as lepers, who were burned at the stake in the 14th century."Amazingly, psoriasis was a disease that had been misunderstood for more than 2,000 years before it was clearly defined (in the early 1800s) and named what we know it as today."

Living With Nail Psoriasis

2006-05-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

Erosion of the nail plate and tenderness of the fingertip may have several causes, the most common being onycholysis, a spontaneous separation of the nail plate from the underlying skin. It classically occurs at the distal end of the nail and can be quite painful. It is a common condition, primarily occurring in females and in the elderly. Treatment consists of avoiding trauma to the nail, avoiding irritants and keeping the nail dry.
Another common condition is fungal infections of the nail (medical term: onychomycosis), and this should be considered especially if the condition is spreading to other nails, as is the case with this reader. Note that dermatologists often see patients with obvious clinical evidence of fungal even though the lab tests are negative, so a course of oral anti-fungal therapy might still be indicated. There are also a whole host of other conditions that your dermatologist could consider, including bacterial infections, eczema, psoriasis and even warts beneath the nail. These are far too numerous to list here, but your dermatologist should be familiar with the most common ones.
You should also realize that many nail disorders are extremely difficult to treat since the nail plate is not "living" tissue. Many nail disorders are incurable, but pain or tenderness should be relieved with appropriate therapy.

comment by Dr. Julian Schamroth, a veteran Jerusalem dermatologist

A Factual Picture Of Psoriasis

2006-05-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis facts and figures.
Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition affecting approximately 4.5 million people in the United States.
New skin cells grow too rapidly, resulting in inflamed, swollen, scaly patches of skin in areas where the old skin has not shed quickly enough.
Psoriasis can be limited to a few spots or can involve more extensive areas of the body, appearing most commonly on the scalp, knees, elbows and trunk.
Psoriasis is not a contagious disease. The cause of psoriasis is unknown, and there currently is no cure.
Psoriasis can strike people at any age, but the average age of onset is approximately 28 years. Likewise, it affects both men and women, with a slightly higher prevalence in women than in men.
Approximately 30 percent of people with psoriasis are estimated to have moderate-to-severe forms of the disease.Psoriasis can be a physically and emotionally painful condition. It often results in physical limitations, disfiguration and a significant burden in managing the daily care of the disease.
Psoriasis sufferers may feel embarrassed, angry, frustrated, fearful, depressed and, in some cases, even suicidal.

Signs And Symptoms Of Scalp Psoriasis

2006-05-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis that affects the scalp is also called seborrheic psoriasis. The scalp may be the first site to be affected by psoriasis. The condition may resemble severe dandruff. Patches of thick, flaky skin may extend to the forehead below the hairline. Scales may build up in the outer ear. Other than the forehead and the ears, the face is usually spared. However, some people may have patches of inflamed skin that resemble seborrheic dermatitis a type of dandruff eczema that affects the scalp and face.Psoriasis on the scalp is common and, in many cases, it is the only area affected. It usually consists of red, scaly patches that are sometimes lumpy. The edge of the patch tends to be well defined. This type of psoriasis can extend beyond the hairline, onto the forehead. Psoriasis of the scalp does not damage the hair follicle and is not associated with alopecia (hair loss), but if the scale is thick and forms hard lumps, it can lead to temporary hair thinning. However, this is not permanent and will grow back again after the psoriasis clears.This form of psoriasis can be extremely uncomfortable. It is often very itchy, and the psoriatic patches that are inflamed and sore can start to bleed if they are scratched or picked. The condition is not caused by poor hygiene or hair care. Scalp psoriasis can be demoralizing, as the look of dead skin cells on clothing can be embarrassing, and it is not always easy to brush them off inconspicuously. Itchiness is another big problem, not only because of the social implication but also because it inflames the condition and makes it worse. Forehead along the hairline is a common site as is the temples, nape of the neck, around the ears, as well as the hair parting. Massaging a little warm baby/olive/coconut oil gently into the scalp, preferably before going to bed to allow plenty of time to soak (bind up the head in an old towel) will help. Wash out with cream shampoo (i.e. Dry Hair Products), add a little lemon juice to the final rinse to get rid of excess grease. Only shampoo three times a week, more than this and the natural oils may be washed out. Always treat the head as gently as possible, do not comb or brush harshly. Perms and colorants can be used as long as the skin is not broken. Shampoo the hair and scalp with a tar-based shampoo that can be purchased over-the-counter or by prescription. Shampoos, scalp steroid lotions, vitamin D analogues and some tar preparations such as tar pomade may be used on the scalp.

Signs And Symptoms Of Psoriatic Arthirtis

2006-04-26T10:36:00.000-07:00

Although psoriatic arthritis normally affects only people with psoriasis, skin and joint problems usually don't develop simultaneously. Many people have psoriasis long before they develop arthritic symptoms, and a few have joint pain for decades before skin symptoms appear. But to receive a diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis, you must have signs and symptoms of both conditions:
Patches of thick, red skin covered with silvery scales, especially on your elbows, knees, scalp or the lower end of your spine. These patches (plaques often itch or burn, and the skin at your joints may crack.
Pain, redness, swelling and reduced motion in your joints — especially the small joints at the ends of your fingers and toes. The joints in your spine and your sacroiliac joints — the two large joints that connect your pelvis and the triangular bone at the end of your spine (sacrum) — also may be affected.
Stiffness and fatigue in the morning.
Pitted, discolored nails that may separate from the nail beds.
Eye inflammations such as conjunctivitis or iritis.
In addition to general arthritic symptoms, there are five distinct types of psoriatic arthritis, each with its own characteristics:
Asymmetric arthritis. The mildest form of psoriatic arthritis, asymmetric arthritis usually affects joints on only one side of your body or different joints on each side — including those in your hip, knee, ankle or wrist. One to three joints are generally involved, and they're often tender and red. When asymmetric arthritis occurs in your hands and feet, swelling and inflammation in the tendons can cause your fingers and toes to resemble small sausages (dactylitis).
Symmetric arthritis. Unlike asymmetric arthritis, symmetric arthritis usually affects four or more of the same joints on both sides of your body. It's similar to rheumatoid arthritis, one of the most common and debilitating of the many arthritic conditions. Although symmetric arthritis is generally milder than rheumatoid arthritis, it can cause progressively disabling joint damage. More women than men have symmetric arthritis, and psoriasis associated with this condition tends to be severe.
Distal interphalangeal joint predominant (DIP). A small percentage of people with psoriatic arthritis — most of them men — have DIP, which affects the small joints closest to the nails (distal joints) in the fingers and toes. DIP is sometimes misdiagnosed as osteoarthritis, a type of arthritis that results from the destruction of cartilage on the ends of the bones. But psoriatic arthritis usually causes nail problems that don't occur with osteoarthritis.
Spondylitis. This form of psoriatic arthritis can cause inflammation in your spine as well as stiffness and inflammation in your neck, lower back or sacroiliac joints. Inflammation can also occur where ligaments and tendons attach to your spine. As the disease progresses, movement tends to become increasingly painful and difficult. Psoriatic spondylitis isn't the same as ankylosing spondylitis, another arthritic condition. Ankylosing spondylitis doesn't occur with psoriasis and usually affects the entire spine, whereas psoriatic spondylitis may affect only your neck or low back.
Arthritis mutilans. A small percentage of people with psoriatic arthritis have arthritis mutilans — a severe, painful and crippling form of the disease. Over time, arthritis mutilans destroys the small bones in the hands, especially the fingers, leading to permanent deformity and disability.
The symptoms of psoriatic arthritis are likely to be better at some times and worse at others. But because skin and joint problems frequently flare up and go into remission at different times, you may have severe psoriasis when your joints are relatively pain-free and aching joints when your skin clears.
Juvenile psoriatic arthritisChildren with psoriatic arthritis usually develop signs and symptoms of the disease around age 9 or 10. Symptoms are often mild, although some children may have severe and debilitating problems that last into adulthood.
In general, children have many of the same signs and symptoms that adults do, but they're more likely to develop skin and joint problems simultaneously. And because children's bones are still forming, abnormal bone development can affect growth.

Psoriatic Arthritis

2006-04-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

Tens of millions of Americans experience the pain and physical limitations of arthritis. Yet arthritis isn't a single medical problem but a group of more than 100 conditions that can cause inflammation in your joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones.
One of these conditions is psoriatic arthritis, which may affect as many as 1 million of the approximately 6 million Americans who have psoriasis. Most are adults in their 30s, 40s and 50s, but children also can develop a form of the disease.
In addition to the inflamed, scaly skin that's typical of psoriasis, people with psoriatic arthritis have swollen, painful joints — especially in their fingers and toes — and pitted, discolored nails. They may also develop inflammatory eye conditions such as conjunctivitis.
There are several types of psoriatic arthritis, with symptoms that range from mild to severe. In general, the disease isn't as crippling as other forms of arthritis, but if left untreated it can cause discomfort, disability and deformity. Although no cure exists for psoriatic arthritis, medication, physical therapy and lifestyle changes often can relieve pain and slow the progression of joint damage.

Treating Psoriasis With Immune Suppressants, Steroids, Lotions And Tar

2006-04-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Topical lotions, ointments, creams, gels, and shampoos for the skin and scalp are prescribed for mild-to-moderate cases of psoriasis or in combination with other treatments for more severe cases. FDA-approved prescription topicals to treat psoriasis include corticosteroids, retinoids, calcipotriene, and coal tar products. These drugs slow down skin cell production and reduce inflammation.
Corticosteroids are synthetic drugs that resemble naturally occurring hormones. Side effects may include thinning of the skin and stretch marks at the area where the topical is applied. Corticosteroids may also suppress the adrenal glands' production of natural steroids, which could leave the body susceptible to disease.
Retinoids are derivatives of vitamin A and calcipotriene is a synthetic form of vitamin D. Retinoids and calcipotriene are not the same as over-the-counter vitamin A and D supplements, which have no value for treating psoriasis, says Wilkin. "These topical creams on the skin deliver the vitamin-like chemicals right to where you want them," he says. Skin irritation where the topical is applied may be a side effect. Retinoids are also available by prescription as oral systemic drugs.
Coal tar products can help with scaling, itching, and inflammation but are not used as commonly as some other topicals, says Lindstrom. They are messy, can stain, and have a strong odor.
Carol Bentson of Washington, D.C., has had plaque psoriasis for more than 30 years, causing "major itching" all over and pain along the scalp line. She has treated it with topical corticosteroids, ultraviolet light, and cortisone injected into her scalp, elbows, toes, and legs. At times, "ointment wouldn't penetrate the areas of heavy plaque buildup, no matter how much I put on," she says.
Bentson has accumulated "sacks of lotions" to treat psoriasis. She would find a topical treatment that worked for a while but then quit working, forcing her to switch to another one.
"With a potent topical steroid, there is a phenomenon called tachyphylaxis," says Craig Leonardi, M.D., associate clinical professor of dermatology at the Saint Louis University Medical School. "Prolonged use can cause down-regulation [decrease] of steroid receptors in cells. The net effect is that the skin becomes less responsive to steroids over time."
Wilkin adds that this unresponsiveness may be a temporary effect. "A patient may need to be off the steroid for a few days or a week and when put back on it, the responsiveness could come back."
Exposing the skin to ultraviolet (UV) light--either from the sun or an artificial source--sets off a biological process that kills T cells, which slows the buildup of skin cells and reduces inflammation.
Light boxes that emit UV light to treat moderate-to-severe psoriasis and other skin diseases are medical devices that require licensing by the FDA. A person steps into the light box, which is about the size of a telephone booth, while lamps direct the light onto the body.
"Treatment with these devices is complex," says Richard Felten, an FDA chemist and senior medical device reviewer. The physician must determine an individual's sensitivity to UV and adjust the light emissions for the most effective treatment with the least risk of side effects, he says. Side effects may include burning, darkened skin, premature aging, and skin cancer. Three to five treatments per week for several weeks or months may be needed to get the psoriasis under control, followed by weekly maintenance treatments.
Light therapy, or phototherapy, is usually done in the physician's office or a medical facility that has the devices, says Felten. "The FDA has cleared some devices for home use under certain conditions and with a doctor's prescription," he says. Home devices include handheld devices for scalp psoriasis and stand-alone light boxes for other areas of the body.
Light therapy usually involves a short wavelength of ultraviolet light, called UVB. For people with resistant moderate-to-severe psoriasis, a combination of an oral or topical drug called psoralen and a longer wavelength ultraviolet A (UVA) light is used. This treatment is called "psoralen plus UVA" (PUVA).
"Psoralen makes the patient more sensitive to the UVA," says Lindstrom, "so once they've taken a dose of psoralen, a smaller dose of UVA is needed to treat them." Patients must be very careful to protect both skin and eyes for 24 hours after psoralen use to prevent damage, she says.
The FDA has also approved a special type of laser, an excimer laser, as a phototherapy device to treat mild-to-moderate psoriasis. "These lasers can deliver a much more controlled beam of light to small areas of the affected skin," says Felten.
The FDA has approved oral and injected drugs that circulate throughout the body to treat psoriasis that is moderate, severe, or disabling. These systemic drugs are very powerful, and while some may be used continuously, others can only be used for a limited time because of their severe side effects. Once a drug is discontinued, the psoriasis may reactivate. The risk of birth defects prevents many systemics from being taken by pregnant women or women planning to become pregnant.
Systemic drugs that may be prescribed for psoriasis include acitretin, methotrexate, cyclosporine, and biologics, which are drugs made from proteins of living cells. Methotrexate, cyclosporine, and the biologic drugs are immunosuppressants, meaning they lower the body's normal immune response. "These drugs suppress the immune cells that cause psoriasis, but they don't distinguish these cells from the immune cells that protect our body from infections," says Elektra Papadopoulos, M.D., an FDA dermatologist.
Acitretin, a retinoid that is given orally for severe psoriasis, helps normalize the growth of skin cells. One of the side effects is raised fat (lipid) levels in the blood, and people taking this drug must get regular blood tests to monitor their cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Methotrexate and cyclosporine slow the growth of skin cells. Methotrexate, taken orally or by injection, is also a chemotherapy drug for cancer patients. Cyclosporine, taken orally, was first approved to prevent organ rejection in transplant recipients. People using either of these drugs must be closely monitored and should use them only for short periods of time because of serious, potentially fatal, side effects.
Biologics are the newest systemic psoriasis treatments. Since 2003, the FDA has licensed three biologics to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis: Amevive (alefacept), manufactured by Biogen Inc.; Raptiva (efalizumab), made by Genentech Inc.; and Enbrel (etanercept), marketed by Amgen Inc. and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Enbrel was first licensed in 2002 to treat the arthritis associated with psoriasis, and in 2004 to treat psoriasis itself.
"All are immunosuppressive and have different proposed mechanisms," says Papadopoulos. Amevive simultaneously reduces the number of immune cells, including T cells, and inhibits T-cell activation. Raptiva inhibits the activation of T cells and the migration of those cells across blood vessels and into tissues, including the skin.
Enbrel inhibits the action of an inflammatory chemical messenger in the immune system called tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), which is believed to play a role in both the skin and the joint symptoms of psoriasis.
All three biologics are injected. The FDA has licensed Amevive to be given in a physician's office, either injected into the muscle or into a vein (intravenously). It's a once-a-week treatment for 12 weeks; further treatments may be given after a waiting period.
The FDA has licensed Raptiva and Enbrel for home treatment. People can inject themselves with Raptiva under the skin once a week or with Enbrel once or twice a week. Both drugs are recommended for continuous use to maintain results.
Since biologic drugs are immunosuppressants, they may carry an increased risk of infection and cancer. Rare but serious effects have also included blood abnormalities and autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Other side effects are flu-like symptoms and pain and inflammation at the injection site.
Some dermatologists prescribe biologics alone for psoriasis or in combination with topical treatments. Leonardi says when he prescribes biologics, "I don't have to resort to adding other systemic therapies such as methotrexate, cyclosporine, acitretin, or phototherapy."
"Biologics are an alternative treatment to some of the traditional therapies," says Papadopoulos.
"Now we need to get the expense down," says Leonardi, who has patients who pay $30,000 per year on drugs to treat psoriasis.
Bird feels fortunate that her insurance company covers most of the expense of Enbrel, which is prescribed for both her psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Because of the arthritis pain, she has used a cane to help her walk and has had surgery on her wrist to correct some of the arthritis damage. Although Enbrel has been less effective over time for the psoriasis, she says, it's reduced her arthritic pain by about 95 percent. "I can jog down to the corner to chase after the dog," she says. "And last summer, I went hiking with my children in Colorado."
Reducing Treatment Risks
Biologics, other systemic drugs, and phototherapy are powerful treatments with increased risks, says Lindstrom.
Biologics may raise the risk for developing cancer and serious bacterial or fungal infections that spread throughout the body (sepsis).
Cyclosporine can damage the kidneys, methotrexate puts the liver and lungs at risk, and phototherapy can cause skin cancer. To reduce these risks, doctors often put patients on "rotational therapy." "The thought is by moving from one therapy to another therapy over time, the risk to any individual organ is reduced," says Lindstrom.
"We also try to choose a drug with an appropriate benefit-risk ratio," she says. For mild psoriasis, a topical steroid may be appropriate. For more severe disease, where it becomes impractical to apply topicals over a large surface area several times a day, a patient may need a systemic treatment.
Most of the highly effective treatments for psoriasis affect the immune system in some way. For steroid drugs, which have been around for more than 50 years, the risks are well known. But less is known about the long-term side effects of newer drugs, such as the biologics. The safety and side effects of biologics and other immune-suppressing drugs to treat psoriasis continue to be monitored by drug manufacturers and the FDA.
For many people, dealing with the emotional impact of psoriasis can be as challenging as treating the disease.
Bird says that mothers have pulled their children away from her on the subway, and some people, horrified by her skin lesions, have asked her if she has AIDS. As her disease has evolved over 30 years, so has Bird's way of dealing with these reactions. In her teens, she'd tell people she had leprosy just for the shock value, she says. Today, Bird is open about the disease but still relies on her defiant attitude to "steel myself for the experience" of going to the beach. "I love to swim," she says. But Bird knows that without covering herself up in a public place, she "runs the risk of people just rubbernecking."
"When I'm feeling forgiving, I try to ignore them," she says, "but when I'm angry, I think 'didn't your mother teach you not to stare?'"
Bird advises others with psoriasis to find out what works best for them to cope with the emotional effects of the disease. Going to therapy has helped her, she says. So has leading a support group for psoriasis sufferers. "It's important for people to work on their emotional well-being," says Bird, "however they choose--whether it's meditation, yoga, or putting on long pants and going out dancing."
Researchers continue to look for reasons why immune cells overreact and what genes may be responsible for psoriasis, hoping to find better treatments, and eventually a cure. Psoriasis research is aided by the visibility of the symptoms on the skin.
"You can see the disease," says Leonardi. "You don't have to do invasive testing to see the effects of therapy." Psoriasis research has a "tremendous spillover into other fields besides dermatology," he adds. "There is a huge need for drugs to suppress the immune system without the side effects."
Multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and type 1 diabetes are just a few of the diseases that may also benefit from psoriasis research.

The Guttate Psoriasis Picture

2006-04-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

Guttate psoriasis is characterized by small red dots (or drops) of psoriasis. Guttate is derived from the Latin word gutta meaning "drop." It often appears on the trunk, arms and legs. The lesions may have some scale. Guttate psoriasis frequently appears suddenly following a streptococcal infection or viral upper respiratory infections. There are also other events that can precipitate an attack of guttate psoriasis: tonsillitis, a cold, chicken pox, immunizations, physical trauma, psychological stress, illness, and the administration of anti-malarial drugs. Guttate psoriasis is many small patches of psoriasis, all over the body, and often happens after a throat infection. Guttate Psoriasis most often affects children and young adults. It appears as small, red bumps-the size of drops of water-on the skin. It usually appears suddenly, often several weeks after an infection such as strep throat.

Biotech Sells Psoriasis Treatment Amevive To Japanese Drug Maker

2006-04-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

Biotech company Biogen Idec Inc. said Monday it agreed to sell the worldwide rights of Amevive, a psoriasis treatment, to the U.S. arm of Japanese drug maker Astellas Pharma Inc., for $60 million.
A Biogen spokesman said the deal also includes undisclosed royalty payments.
Biogen said it will continue to manufacture Amevive, a biologic anti-inflammatory compound, and supply it to Astellas. Biogen added it expects the transaction to close as early as mid-April.

Smoking Is A Risk Factor In Psoriasis

2006-03-29T12:02:00.000-08:00

Although dry skin has long been associated with smoking, not until recently has it also been linked to psoriasis. Thousands of doctors are now advising patients to use a good shielding lotion as treatment for psoriasis, but will no doubt soon be adding cessation of smoking to their recommendations.Psoriasis is considered a chronic skin condition and presents as elevated, dry, scaly, itchy patches on the skin. The most common sites are the elbows, knees and other parts of the legs, the scalp, lower back, face, palms, and the soles of the feet. About one third of the diagnosed cases are genetic, although the first outbreak is frequently triggered by stress or physical injury. The condition is driven by the immune system – T cells, the white blood cells that help protect the body from infection and are responsible for creating scabs over wounds, become overactive and trigger other immune responses. These lead to inflammation and rapid turnover of skin cells. The immature skin cells then rise to the surface and form the scaly patches.A recent study, published in the December issue of Archives of Dermatology, found that those who smoke more than a pack of cigarettes per day were at twice the risk of having more severe psoriasis than those who smoke 10 cigarettes or less, and that patients who smoke are more likely to have psoriasis.Although no causal relationship was established, lead researcher Dr. Gerald G. Krueger, a professor of dermatology at the University of Utah School of Medicine stated that if one is not genetically predisposed to psoriasis, "one of the things that you can do to make sure that you get psoriasis is smoke."

Psoriasis Susceptibility Gene Identified

2006-03-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

University of Michigan scientists have found a common genetic variation in an immune system gene that makes people much more likely to develop psoriasis â€“ a disfiguring inflammatory skin disease. Named PSORS1 (SORE-ESS-1), for psoriasis susceptibility 1, the gene is the first genetic determinant of psoriasis to be definitively identified in a large clinical study. Its discovery could lead to new, more effective treatments for psoriasis without the risks and side-effects of current therapies. The gene's causative role in psoriasis was demonstrated in a University of Michigan Medical School study of 2,723 people from 678 families in which at least one family member had the disease. Results of the U-M study â€“ the most comprehensive analysis of a psoriasis gene to date â€“ will be published in the May 2006 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics. Psoriasis is a chronic disease that affects about 2 percent of the U.S. population. People with psoriasis develop thick, flaky white patches on their skin and scalp. The disease is disfiguring and can have a negative effect on quality of life. About 25 percent of people with psoriasis eventually develop psoriatic arthritis, which can be severe. Unlike diseases caused by a mutation in just one gene, psoriasis is what scientists call a multi-factorial disease. This means that people must inherit several disease-related genes, plus be exposed to one or more environmental triggers, in order to get psoriasis. "For every individual with psoriasis who carries the PSORS1 gene, there are 10 other people with the gene who don't get psoriasis," says study director James T. Elder, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of dermatology and of radiation oncology in the U-M Medical School and the Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System. "It's as if you are pushing a shopping cart down the aisle at the grocery store and putting genes in your cart," Elder adds. "There are several different brands of each gene on the shelf and one of them is bad for you. If you pull down enough bad ones, then you can get sick. "But even if you get all the bad genes, you still need a trigger from the environment to develop the disease," explains Elder. "In psoriasis, strep throat is a very common initial trigger. It activates the immune system to attack the strep bacteria. But once the strep infection is cleared, the immune system starts attacking the patient's own skin cells. About half the time, strep-induced psoriasis goes away and never comes back. But for the other 50 percent of young people who get it, psoriasis progresses to become a chronic life-long disease." The PSORS1 gene is actually one of over 20 different varieties (scientists call them alleles) of a gene called HLA-C. "In terms of our grocery store analogy, think of PSORS1 as one of 20 'brands' of HLA-C on the shelf," Elder says. Located on human chromosome 6, HLA-C is one of several genes in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) that regulate how the immune system fights off infection. MHC genes carry DNA-coded instructions for proteins whose job it is to distinguish between what belongs in the body and what doesn't. "There is a great deal of genetic variation in the MHC, because it's on the front lines of dealing with pathogens and cancer," Elder explains. "It's an area where it's good to be different. If everybody were the same, we'd be like hybrid corn. A plague could come along and wipe us all out." Scientists have been searching for genes associated with psoriasis for more than 30 years, but until now studies have been inconclusive, according to Rajan P. Nair, Ph.D., the study's first author and a U-M assistant research professor in dermatology. "Researchers have identified 19 candidate loci, or areas on chromosomes, that may be genetically linked to psoriasis," Nair says. "Many studies confirmed a strong association with the MHC, but no one could determine which gene in the MHC was involved in psoriasis." In a previous study, Nair and his U-M colleagues narrowed the search for the PSORS1 gene down to a 300,000-base-pair segment of chromosome 6 that included HLA-C and at least 10 other genes. To determine which of the 11 genes was linked to psoriasis, U-M scientists used a technique called haplotype mapping. Haplotypes are clusters of alleles that tend to be inherited together as a group, because they are located close to each other on the same chromosome. This means that small individual variations in DNA, which originated in a distant ancestor, are often passed intact from generation to generation. If a haplotype contains genetic changes that make people more susceptible to a disease, scientists can find it by comparing DNA sequences in haplotypes from people with the disease to those of people who don't have the disease. U-M researchers first sequenced and compared all DNA within the 300,000 base-pair target segment from 10 MHC chromosomes carried by five people enrolled in the study. Detailed analysis of these 10 DNA sequences revealed differences that were only present on psoriasis chromosomes, but never on normal chromosomes. Further analysis by U-M scientists narrowed the search down to one gene, HLA-C, and one specific disease-causing allele, HLA-Cw6. Drugs used to treat psoriasis are also used for other autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. These drugs turn off the immune response, which leaves the body vulnerable to infection. Now that U-M scientists have identified HLA-Cw6 as being the PSORS1 gene, Elder says scientists can concentrate on finding ways to block its ability to bind to cell surface antigens, which could lead to the development of safer treatments for psoriasis. "What we're all shooting for is trying to find out which branches of the immune system are triggering psoriasis, so you don't have to shut down the whole immune system â€“ only the parts that are important," Elder says. While Elder believes that PSORS1 is the major gene involved in susceptibility to psoriasis, he cautions that it's not the only one. He says much additional research will be required to find the other genes involved and to understand all the secrets of this complex and puzzling disease. "Access to a large, diverse pool of study subjects is vital to the success of this type of clinical research," Elder says. "We are grateful to the 5,000 people who have participated in our psoriasis study so far. It has been a collaborative effort involving physicians, scientists and patients from dermatology departments at many institutions â€“ including the U-M, the University of Kiel in Germany, Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital, and the Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System."

Treating Psoriasis With Dermatitis-Ltd

2006-03-17T12:04:00.000-08:00

Dermatitis-Ltd will improve the skin beauty and provide improve the appearance of the various forms of psoriasis.
The ingredients of Dermatitis-Ltd III are: zinc oxide, sodium chloride, magnesium stearate, polyethylene glycol, iron oxide, copper oxide, and sulfur (sulfur is used externally only and is not to be confused with sulfa which is taken internally only). Dermatitis-Ltd does not contain any potentially irritating preservatives, such as methylparaben, propylparaben, and Quaternium-15, and contains no irritating fragrances. Dermatitis-Ltd has a pH of 7.0 which is the perfect pH balance to allow the skin to normalize itself and heal itself

Psoriasis Treatment Beats Expectations In Phase II Trials

2006-03-14T10:34:00.000-08:00

Celgene Corporation has reported better than expected phase II data evaluating CC-10004 as a potential oral therapy for patients with severe plaque-type psoriasis.

CC-10004 is a novel, orally available small molecule with anti-inflammatory activities that inhibits the production of multiple proinflammatory mediators including PDE-4, TNF-alpha, interleukin-2 (IL-2), interferon-gamma, leukotrienes, and nitric oxide synthase. CC-10004 is the lead investigational drug in this class of anti-inflammatory compounds, and is being studied in phase II proof of principle clinical trials for the treatment of psoriasis and other chronic inflammatory diseases.

At the 64th American Academy of Dermatology meeting, Dr Alice Bendix Gottlieb, professor of medicine at Tufts-New England Medical Center, presented data from a phase II trial evaluating the clinical response in patients with severe plaque psoriasis treated for 29 days with CC-10004.
Dr Gottlieb reported that that 73.7% of enrolled patients demonstrated improvement in their psoriasis symptoms with 15.8% of these patients showing a greater than 50% reduction in their psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score.

In addition, 53.3% of the evaluable 15 patients demonstrated greater than 20% reduction in epidermal skin thickness, the protocol-defined definition of pharmacodynamic response. The mean reduction of epidermal thickness among the evaluable patients was 20.5%.

Furthermore, 52.9% of enrolled patients showed an improvement in their physician's global assessment scores and 58.8% showed a reduction in their psoriasis body surface area scores.
"We are very encouraged with the results of the psoriasis trials as they exceeded the predetermined guidelines we had established," said Dr Jerome Zeldis, Celgene's chief medical officer. "Based on these results, we are accelerating our clinical program and are moving forward with an adequate and well-controlled multi-center study."

How Severe Is My Psoriasis

2006-03-10T08:53:00.000-08:00

People with psoriasis on less than 2 percent of their body are considered to have a mild case. Generally, isolated patches of psoriasis are found on the knees, elbows, scalp and hands and feet. Topical treatments—including moisturizers and over-the-counter and prescription creams, ointments and shampoos—are usually sufficient to keep the psoriasis in check.
Moderate psoriasis is defined as affecting between 2 percent and 10 percent of the body's surface. Psoriasis may appear on the arms, legs, torso, scalp and other areas. Appropriate therapies include topical treatments, phototherapy and oral medications, depending on the location and extent of the psoriasis and other individual factors.
Psoriasis covering more than 10 percent of the body is considered severe. Extensive areas of skin may be covered with psoriasis plaques or pustules, or widespread erythrodermic psoriasis can cause severe peeling of the skin. People with severe psoriasis are more likely to develop psoriatic arthritis. Powerful treatments, including phototherapy, oral medications or a combination of these, are usually necessary to manage severe psoriasis.

Determining The Best Treatment For Psoriasis

2006-03-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

Treatment of psoriasis is determined by the location, severity and history of psoriasis in each individual. There is no one method of treatment, for each person with psoriasis may respond differently. One main objective of treatment is to slow down the more rapid than usual growth rate of the skin cells. The rapid growth rate of skin cells causes the red, scaly psoriasis patches. The underlying cause of this increased skin growth is not yet known. For patients with minimal psoriasis, therapy is limited to topical medications that are drugs applied to the skin. For patients with moderate to widespread psoriasis, topical treatments are often combined with ultraviolet light therapy. Either sunlight or artificial ultraviolet light therapy can be used. If topical and ultraviolet light therapy are not effective, or are not practical, systemic or oral medications can be used. These may be combined with ultraviolet light therapy, the so-called photo-chemotherapy or PUVA therapy. In severe cases and unresponsive cases of psoriasis, there are oral medications that slow down the growth rate of skin which are helpful. These drugs can have significant side effects and have to be used with the proper safeguard and caution. Even these strong drugs do not cure psoriasis but only help to control the disease.

Medicis Psoriasis Drug Gets Wider Use FDA Approval

2006-03-03T11:11:00.000-08:00

Dermatology product maker Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. on Thursday said the Food and Drug Administration has approved a wider use for the company's Vanos skin medication.
The wider use allows Medicis to market the steroid as a primary treatment for skin inflammation and itching for patients 12 and older. Such condition include eczema and exposure to poison ivy.
The drug was approved last year, and launched in April, as a treatment for plaque-type psoriasis, a chronic condition of red, scaly inflamed skin

Remicade Recieves Posts Phase III Trial Results

2006-03-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

Centocor Inc. reported positive study results of tests using its drug Remicade in patients suffering from psoriasis.
The results of the phase-III study were presented by the Horsham, Pa., biotechnology company Friday at the annual American Academy of Dermatology meeting in San Francisco.

The study showed patients taking Remicade for 10 weeks achieved at least 75 percent improvement in their psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory disease. Nearly 2 million Americans suffer from the skin disorder.
Remicade is already approved as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease.
The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing Centocor's application, filed in November, to expand the use of the drug to include treating moderate to severe psoriasis

Trial Failure Halts Testing On Psoriasis Drug

2006-02-28T12:14:00.000-08:00

CombinatoRx has decided to discontinue development of CRx-140, its oral product candidate for the treatment of psoriasis, after the compound failed to reach its primary and secondary endpoints in a phase II trial.
The trial, which enrolled 103 patients in the US and Canada, studied the effect of a 12 week treatment of CRx-140 compared to low-dose cyclosporine. However, the drug failed to show a statistically significant greater reduction in symptoms of severe psoriasis than cyclosporine.
In the trial, psoriasis symptoms were measured as scores on the physician global assessment (PGA) and psoriasis area severity index (PASI) scales.
"The preliminary results from this first phase IIa trial of CRx-140 are clearly disappointing," said Dr Jan Lessem, chief medical officer of CombinatoRx. "Both CRx-140 and low dose cyclosporine decreased PGA and PASI, but the results of the two arms were not statistically different, nor was the magnitude of the effects sufficient to warrant further development."

Treating Psoriasis With Lasers

2006-02-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

Doctors have begun introducing an instrument known as the XTRAC laser to treat psoriasis.
Statistically, about four and a half million Americans suffer from psoriasis.
Psoriasis is a skin condition that is difficult to diagnose and has no cure. The skin troubles associated with psoriasis are caused by abnormal white blood cells. The cells settle into the skin, causing it to become irritated and inflamed.
Experts said the XTRAC laser targets those cells.
Bethesda Dermatologist Dr. Ronald Prussick said the laser works best on people with relatively small, isolated patches that don't respond to other treatments.
"The way it works is it helps get those abnormal white blood cells that are in the skin, back out of the skin back into the blood stream," said Prussick. "It works very well for the scalp, and I also use it for people who have the psoriasis on the hands and the feet, because traditionally, those areas are difficult to treat."
Each laser treatment lasts just a few minutes. But doctors said it usually takes several sessions over a period of weeks to see a difference.
Elizabeth Thornton has been suffering with psoriasis on her hands and feet for two years. She said that at times, it's been so severe she could barely walk and trying to find a treatment that works has been a struggle.
"I've had 10 million creams. I have any cream you can name, I've had so many of them," said Thornton.
The laser has been able to do for Elizabeth what the creams and medications couldn't.
"It cleared up my feet, completely cleared, my hands cleared," said Thornton.
Doctors stress that the laser is not a cure for psoriasis and it only provides temporary relief. They also said the laser won't work for everyone and should be used by people who haven't responded to other treatments.
The cost of the laser treatments is usually covered by health insurance.

New Options In Treating Psoriasis May Not Help Everyone

2006-02-22T08:45:00.000-08:00

It’s a new era for patients covered in the itchy, scaly skin disease psoriasis. After years with few good treatments, doctors finally have a handful of therapies that promise to help control the incurable condition with fewer bad side effects.
What changed? Scientists learned that psoriasis isn’t just a skin-deep disorder but a dysfunction of the immune system, so the new therapies target the real culprit.
“Five to six years ago, I was telling my patients it was the wasteland,” says Dr. Craig Leonardi of St. Louis University Medical School, who participated in studies of the new treatments. “Now there’s this huge explosion of amazing drugs coming forward.
The new options don’t help everyone, cautions Dr. Michael Tharp, dermatology chief at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center. And they’re very expensive, costing $10,000 a year or more.
But, “it’s a great first step,” Tharp says. “Now we’ve got very directed molecules and know where they work and how they work. ... I hope it is just the beginning.”
Two unique psoriasis shots, Amevive and Raptiva, recently won Food and Drug Administration approval. Two drugs already sold to treat other conditions — Enbrel and Remicade — are used against psoriasis, too. A list of other potential treatments is under study.

TolerRx Gets Orphan Drug Designation

2006-02-14T08:59:00.000-08:00

TolerRx, Inc. today announcedthat its lead product, TRX4, has received orphan drug designation by the U.S.Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of new-onset Type 1diabetes mellitus. TolerRx is currently conducting a clinical study of TRX4 inthe U.S. in subjects with Type 1 diabetes. Orphan drug designation would entitle TolerRx to exclusive TRX4 marketingrights in the United States for seven years should TolerRx be the firstcompany to receive marketing approval for this type of therapeutic drugproduct. In addition, the designation would allow TolerRx to apply forresearch funding, tax credits for certain research expenses, and a waiver fromthe FDA application user fee required by the Prescription Drug User Fee Act(PDUFA). "We are pleased to have received this orphan drug designation for TRX4 inthe treatment of new-onset Type 1 diabetes," said Douglas J. Ringler, ChiefExecutive Officer of TolerRx. "This designation is one in a number of plannedstrategic initiatives that will provide us with financial and regulatorybenefits and market exclusivity." In a study of subjects with new-onset Type 1 diabetes published in theJune 23, 2005 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, TRX4 (ChAglyCD3)was shown to preserve the function of insulin-producing beta cells in thepancreas and reduce the amount of administered insulin needed to control bloodglucose levels for at least 18 months after a single six day course of TRX4.At the doses used in this study, TRX4 administration was associated withtransient symptoms of flu-like syndrome and transient EBV reactivation.TolerRx recently initiated a clinical trial in the U.S. in subjects with Type1 diabetes designed to optimize and select a TRX4 dosing regimen to be used inlater phase trials. About Type 1 Diabetes Diabetes (medically known as diabetes mellitus) is the name given todisorders in which the body has difficulty regulating its blood glucose, orblood sugar, levels. There are two major types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2.Type 1, also called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is adisorder of the body's immune system. In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreasproduces little or no insulin as a result of the immune system attacking anddestroying the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Therefore, Type 1diabetes patients require frequent administration of insulin therapy each dayto control their blood sugar levels. In the United States, approximately 1.3 million people have Type 1diabetes, and each year approximately 30,000 new patients are diagnosed withthe disease, including 13,000 children. About TRX4 TRX4 is a monoclonal antibody that binds to a receptor found on all Tcells called CD3, which is involved in normal T cell signaling. TRX4 isdesigned to block the function of autoreactive T-effector cells that attackthe body's tissues and cause autoimmune disease. Because T-effector cells andT-regulatory cells utilize different signaling pathways for activation, TRX4is expected to suppress autoreactive T cells while promoting T-regulatory cellactivity, resulting in a state of immunological tolerance. In addition to Type1 diabetes, TolerRx is also developing TRX4 for the treatment of psoriasis andis currently enrolling subjects in a U.S. Phase Ib study of subjects withmoderate-to-severe psoriasis.

Treating Psoriasis With Retinoids

2006-02-07T11:46:00.000-08:00

These drugs are related to Vitamin A. They normalize the growth of skin cells in psoriasis. A new retinoid, acitretin (Soriatane) was introduced in 1998, replacing etretinate (Tegison). This drug is useful in treating severe forms of psoriasis, such as Erythrodermic and pustular psoriasis that do not respond to other therapies. Retinoids are almost certain to cause birth defects. They cannot be used by pregnant women, women planning to become pregnant, or their male partners. Women who take acitretin must avoid pregnancy for up to 3 years after they stop taking the drug. Women also must not drink alcohol while they are taking acitretin and for 2 months after they stop taking it. Alcohol can cause the drug to change to its chemical cousin, etretinate, in the blood. Etretinate can cause severe birth defects for many years after its use. Other possible side effects of retinoids are dry skin, chapped lips, dryness of the eyes and nasal passages, hair thinning, sun sensitivity, and bone spurs of the long bones or spine. The drugs may also increase blood levels of liver enzymes and triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood. Reducing the dose of the drug usually reduces these side effects. Another retinoid, isotretinoin (Accutane) is sometimes used to treat psoriasis. It may be helpful for some people, especially if combined with ultraviolet light treatment, but it is generally less effective than acitretin. Isotretinoin is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat severe acne but not to treat psoriasis.

Progress Noted In Psoriasis treatment

2006-02-03T10:51:00.000-08:00

Pharmaceutical products developer York Pharma said it has progressed in the development of a new topical treatment for psoriasis. The group said it has selected Carbenoxolone as its lead compound for a new class of drugs termed Vitamin A Metabolic Pathway inhibitors. "To date, in vitro and in vivo study results supporting the use of carbenoxolone in psoriasis have all been positive," said the group. It added that Phase II results further supported carbenoxolone as a new treatment for psoriasis. "York is pleased that these preliminary Phase II data indicate the potential of carbenoxolone for the treatment of this condition, and that the company's dermatology pipeline is continuing to make significant progress," said chief executive Terry Sadler.

Aloe Vera For Psoriasis

2006-02-01T07:48:00.000-08:00

Long used to speed the healing of mild burns, it's now study proved to improve symptoms of psoriasis when used three times a day for eight months. Break the leaf of an aloe plant to get the soothing gel or use a lotion that's at least 20% pure aloe vera.

Psoriasis

2006-01-30T13:13:00.000-08:00

Psoriasis is a condition whose main symptom is gray or silvery flaky patches on the skin which are red and inflamed underneath. In the United States, it affects 2 to 2.6 percent of the population, or between 5.8 and 7.5 million people. Commonly affected areas include the scalp, elbows, knees, arms, stomach and back. Psoriasis is autoimmune in origin, and is not contagious. Around a quarter of people with psoriasis also suffer from psoriatic arthritis, which is similar to rheumatoid arthritis in its effects. Psoriasis was first given that name in complete differentiation from other skin conditions by the Austrian dermatologist Ferdinand von Hebra in 1841, although there are what are believed to be descriptions of the disease in sources going back to ancient Roman and possibly even biblical times.

Smoking May Worsen Psoriasis

2006-01-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

Need another reason to quit smoking? It might be making your psoriasis worse.
Researchers have found a link between smoking and the severity of psoriasis. According to a December 2005 study in Archives of Dermatology, people who smoke more than one pack a day have double the risk of severe psoriasis compared to people who smoke half a pack or less a day.
For some time, researchers have known that cigarettes may trigger psoriasis in people who are susceptible to the disease, especially pustular psoriasis. In one study, cigarette smoking more than doubled the risk of developing psoriasis in women and almost the same in men.
It is unclear exactly how smoking might exacerbate psoriasis, but cigarettes are known to alter the function of white blood cells. Smoking may also cause the body to overproduce proteins that contribute to skin inflammation in psoriasis.
Although there's no direct evidence that quitting smoking can improve your condition, it's possible you could boost your odds. According to a 2000 study in Cutis, three-quarters of those whose psoriasis had gone into remission were nonsmokers, while two-thirds of those whose disease remained largely the same were smokers.
In any case, kicking the habit is a proven way to improve your overall health and reduce your risk of lung cancer, heart disease and stroke. So, if you're a smoker, it's important to take steps to quit. Quitting can be difficult, but support can be found through smoking cessation programs at hospitals and health centers or through individual, group or telephone counseling.
Another popular choice for helping to kick the habit is nicotine replacement therapy, which is available in gum, inhaler, nasal spray and patch form. These products are designed to be tapered slowly as you wean yourself off nicotine. Other choices are bupropion (Wellbutrin) and nortriptyline (Pamelor, Aventyl). These products don't contain nicotine, but they can help reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

Lapto Psoriasis Infects Village

2006-01-19T10:33:00.000-08:00

Bellary, Karnataka:
The mystery disease that has affected 258 people, including 156 women, at Siddammanahalli village in this district, has been diagnosed as Lapto Psoriasis.Informing this to newspersons here today, National Institute for Communicable Diseases Deputy Director and Microbiologist Dr Sohan Lal said unclean and unhygienic environment, lack of proper drainage system and drinking contaminated water led to the outbreak of the disease.

Animals and rodents were the main carriers of the Lapto Spiral bacteria which caused the disease.

He said the disease was also prevalent at Yadgiri in Gulbarga district, some villages in Bidar district, Madanapalle in Andhra Pradesh, besides some villages in Maharashtra.

Dr Lal and Lab Assistant Shivakumar went round the village yesterday to zero in on the cause for the spread of the disease. Expressing satisfaction over the supply of medicines by the District Health Department to contain the disease, Dr Lal said the Veterinary Department had been asked to initiate steps to study cattle diseases.

Join The National Psoriasis Foundation To Speak Out On Capitol Hill

2006-01-13T10:51:00.000-08:00

The National Psoriasis Foundation is urging people who care about psoriasis to make their voice heard by joining the Foundation at its third annual Capitol Hill Day, Feb. 26-27, 2006. Foundation staff and volunteers from around the country will personally deliver a message to Congress on the seriousness of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, the importance of access to medications and the need for more federal research funding toward a cure. Deadline for registration is Jan. 26. "Constituent voices on Capitol Hill make all the difference," says Gail M.Zimmerman, president and CEO of the National Psoriasis Foundation. "People affected by these diseases need to stand up and be heard." Zimmerman encourages people to join the effort. "This is a powerful opportunity to increase our impact in Washington, D.C.," she says. Capitol Hill Day 2005 brought tangible results for the psoriasis community: More than two dozen U.S. representatives signed a joint letter in support of increased psoriasis research funding at the National Institutes ofHealth (NIH); related Senate appropriations report language was adopted; and the Senate passed a resolution recognizing August 2005 as Psoriasis Awareness Month. The 2005 event served as a spring board for further action, as psoriasis advocates sent nearly 10,000 messages to Congress through the PsoriasisFoundation Web site on behalf of psoriasis since last April. No experience is necessary to attend Capitol Hill Day. The Psoriasis Foundation provides training and information, and will pair volunteers together when they visit congressional offices. Limited scholarship money for expenses is available for people who qualify, on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, to register, or to inquire about a scholarship, go to http://www.psoriasis.org or call1-800-723-9166.

Identifying A Important Trigger In Psoriasis

2006-01-10T11:12:00.000-08:00

An immune molecule that normally assists in cell “suicide” may be an important trigger in the development of the common skin disease psoriasis, according to scientists from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and State University of New York, Stony Brook.
The culprit, a molecule called Fas, acts as a middleman between activated immune cells and a handful of inflammatory hormones involved in psoriasis flare-ups, say Technion researcher Dr. Amos Gilhar and colleagues. The study appears in the January, 10 2006 American Journal of Pathology.
Psoriasis is a non-contagious, lifelong skin disease that usually appears as scaly and inflamed patches of skin, although it can take several different forms. In patients with psoriasis, the white blood cells that make up the body’s immune defense system go into overdrive, triggering other immune responses that pile up skin cells at an abnormal rate.
Current treatments for psoriasis such as the drug Enbrel focus on these inflammatory hormones, but the researchers were able to stop the development of psoriasis in mice long before these hormones came into play by injecting an Fas-blocking antibody.
“The finding that antibodies to Fas can prevent psoriasis further demonstrates the complexity of the disease and its numerous molecular pathways,” Gilhar says.
Dr. Alice Gottlieb, chair of the Clinical Research Center at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey agrees. “This research shows that activation of the Fas pathway is important in starting the ball rolling in psoriasis,” comments Gottlieb (who was not involved with this study). “These findings could have implications for other immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease,”
The researchers suspected that the Fas molecule was in the middle of this process, since it is found at high levels in psoriatic skin and leads an intriguing dual life. Most of the time, Fas guides the normal process of cell suicide called apoptosis. But in cells where apoptosis is blocked by other molecules, as it is in psoriatic cells, Fas switches roles and encourages the production of common inflammatory hormones instead.
To figure out exactly where Fas stood in the development of psoriasis, Gilhar and colleagues transferred grafts of clear, non-involved skin from human psoriasis patients to mice. They injected the mice with white blood cells bearing the Fas molecule on their surfaces to jump-start the formation of psoriatic skin lesions.
By blocking Fas action with a special antibody, the researchers were able to show that Fas actually is the key middleman in psoriasis formation. Without Fas, the natural killer cells were unable to trigger the production of the inflammatory hormones that lead to the characteristic skin thickening and other signs of psoriasis.
There is some evidence that Fas is involved in other skin conditions such as eczema, so future treatments targeting the Fas pathway may prove useful for a variety of diseases, suggests Dr. Richard Kalish, Gilhar’s collaborator from SUNY Stony Brook. However, researchers need to develop a human antibody to Fas before the technique could be tested in people.
“The current study is one of the many wonderful papers that have come out of this very productive collaboration across many miles between Dr. Gilhar and Dr. Kalish,” says Gottlieb.
According to the National Psoriasis Foundation in the United States, 1-3 percent of the world’s population suffers from psoriasis. About 30 percent of people with psoriasis have severe cases, where the affected skin covers more than 3 percent of their body. In some people, the disease is associated with a form of arthritis.
The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is Israel's leading science and technology university. Home to the country’s winners of the Nobel Prize in science, it commands a worldwide reputation for its pioneering work in nanotechnology, computer science, biotechnology, water-resource management, materials engineering, aerospace and medicine. The majority of the founders and managers of Israel's high-tech companies are alumni. Based in New York City, the American Technion Society is the leading American organization supporting higher education in Israel, with 17 offices around the country.

Another Option In Psoriasis Treatment

2006-01-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

Abbott Laboratories announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the biologic drug Humira (generic name adalimumab) for reducing signs and symptoms of active arthritis in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Humira is also approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis. The National Psoriasis Foundation welcomes the news as another treatment option for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patients.
How will people use it?Patients take Humira at home by giving themselves an injection of 40 milligrams (mg) every other week, similar to diabetes patients who give themselves insulin injections. Humira is designed to be taken continuously to maintain improvement. The medication can be used alone or in combination with methotrexate or other DMARDs (disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs) under a doctor's supervision.
How effective is it?In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 313 patients with active psoriatic arthritis, researchers monitored joint symptoms and the skin.
Improvements in both skin and joint symptoms were seen as early as two weeks and continued to improve over time.
Determining arthritis measurement scores in those using 40 mg of Humira every other week:
At week 12, nearly 60 percent achieved 20 percent improvement
At week 24, nearly one quarter achieved 70 percent improvement
Nearly 70 patients in the trial had skin lesions involving greater than 3 percent body surface area and were treated with Humira. In measurements of psoriasis severity by week 24:
75 percent achieved 50 percent improvement
Nearly 60 percent achieved 75 percent improvement
More than 40 percent achieved 90 percent improvement Humira is not approved by the FDA for the treatment of psoriasis, but studies of its effectiveness in treating this disease are being conducted.
How does it work?Humira blocks tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a chemical "messenger" in the immune system that signals other cells to cause inflammation. There is too much TNF-alpha in the skin of people with psoriasis and the joints of people with certain types of arthritis.
Humira helps lower the amount of TNF-alpha, thus interrupting the inflammatory cycle of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and leading to improvement in symptoms for many people who take it.
What are the side effects?Common side effects in psoriatic arthritis patients included upper respiratory tract infections, injection site reactions and high blood pressure.
According to the product label information, in studies of rheumatoid arthritis patients, the most common side effects included:
upper respiratory infections
abdominal pain
headache
rash
injection site reactions
urinary tract infection
These side effects were generally mild and did not cause most patients to stop taking Humira. These events happened most often after the first dose of Humira and may decrease after additional doses.
Humira treatment should not be started in someone with an active infection, and it may not be recommended for someone with a history of recurring infections. People taking Humira should be monitored for signs of infection, and if a serious infection develops, the medication should be stopped.
Tuberculosis, invasive fungal infections and other serious infections have been reported in Humira patients; some of the infections have been fatal. The infections often occurred in patients who were also using other medications that affect the immune system, such as methotrexate.
People should be evaluated for latent TB infections by getting a TB skin test prior to treatment with Humira. Patients with evidence of TB exposure might require additional testing and treatment before starting Humira.
There have been rare reports of central nervous system disorders in association with the use of Humira. Doctors are advised to use caution in considering the use of Humira in patients with pre-existing or the recent onset of central nervous system disorders, including multiple sclerosis. About 12 percent of patients develop antibodies to the medication, and these people are more likely to have an allergic-type reaction to the treatment.
The FDA has reviewed the association between TNF-alpha medications such as Humira and an increased risk of developing lymphoma, a type of cancer. The FDA concluded there is not enough data to know if these medications contributed to higher risk. Humira's safety and side effects continue to be monitored by Abbott Laboratories and the FDA.

Smokers Experience More Severe Psoriasis Outbreaks

2005-12-20T11:31:00.000-08:00

People with psoriasis who smoke tend to have more severe cases than nonsmokers, but it may be a consequence and not a cause of the skin condition, researchers said on Monday.
The condition, which afflicts up to 3 percent of the world's population and runs in families, varies in severity though heavy smoking was associated with more severe cases, said Italian researchers from Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico in Rome.
"Specifically, patients who smoked more than a pack of cigarettes (more than 20 cigarettes) daily had twice the risk of more severe psoriasis compared with those who smoked 10 cigarettes or less per day," lead author Cristina Fortes wrote in this month's issue of the journal Archives of Dermatology.
The number of years spent smoking also was associated with more severe forms of the condition, which afflicts between 1 percent and 3 percent of the world's population and usually develops between the ages of 15 and 35.
However, an editorial in the journal said the study did not reveal whether smoking was a cause or a consequence of psoriasis, which most often appears in the scalp, knees, elbows and torso and frequently creates embarrassment.
A separate study in the same journal found a higher prevalence of obesity among psoriasis patients. The report by dermatologist Mark Herron of the Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City said smoking may have a role in causing psoriasis but obesity was definitely an outgrowth of having the condition.
Psoriasis, which appears to have a genetic component, is caused by an overactive immune system that causes skin cells to develop rapidly and rise to the skin surface where they are not shed rapidly enough and form itchy lesions, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation.
Outbreaks can be triggered by injuries such as scratches or sunburn and severe cases can affect the skin's ability to control body temperature and prevent infections.

treating Psoriasis And The Depression That May Accompany It

2005-12-16T08:14:00.000-08:00

A drug used to treat psoriasis may also relieve the depression and fatigue associated with the condition, researchers report.
And it may one day offer a new avenue of treatment for depression itself, the scientists say.
Etanercept, which goes under the brand name Enbrel, works by blocking a protein called tumor necrosis factor-alpha, which is produced by the body and promotes inflammation. High concentrations of TNF-alpha have also been linked to major depression, the researchers says.
"When people get a cold, infections, psoriasis, arthritis, they tend to feel bad and have low energy, they want to sleep more, they are moody and depressed," says lead researcher Dr. Ranga Krishnan, chairman of Duke University's department of psychiatry. "It has been shown that this is due to the elevation of cytokines such as TNF-alpha," he adds.
The question that Krishnan and his colleagues wanted to answer was whether blocking TNF-alpha could improve the symptoms of depression and fatigue.
To test the theory, Krishnan's team assigned 618 psoriasis patients to receive injections of 50 milligrams of etanercept twice a week for 12 weeks, or a placebo. After this period, the patients were all given etanercept for an additional 84 weeks.
The researchers found that after 12 weeks, 47 percent of the patients receiving etanercept had a 75 percent or greater improvement in their psoriasis, compared with 5 percent of those receiving a placebo.
In addition, patients receiving etanercept had a significant improvement in guilt, irritability, interest, appearance, work, sleep and sexual symptoms, compared with those receiving a placebo.
Patients receiving the drug also showed lower levels of fatigue.
Improvement was strongly related to the improvements in joint and skin pain caused by psoriasis, the researchers report.
The researchers noted that the improvement in depression was not correlated with improvement in symptoms. However, the study was not designed to detect the effect of etanercept on primary depression.
The study findings were published Wednesday in an early online edition of The Lancet.
People shouldn't consider getting TNF-alpha injections to fight depression based on this study, Krishnan says. "The next question is, if we treat people with depression without psoriasis, would it be a benefit," he says. "If it does, it opens up a whole new avenue of treating depression."
One expert thinks that relieving the symptoms of psoriasis is the reason that patients felt less depressed and less tired.
"There has been some data that the drug gives an increased feeling of well-being," says Dr. Jeffrey M. Weinberg, director of the clinical research center in the department of dermatology at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, in New York City. "But I think any therapy that improves psoriasis is going to improve depression and fatigue."
Weinberg adds that he doesn't think his psoriasis patients are depressed at the start of therapy. "But my patients are very happy when they are doing better," he says. "Not only can we improve the disease, but the disease also has a social-psycho impact, and successful therapy can positively impact that."

New Treatment in The Psoriasis PIcture

2005-12-14T07:41:00.000-08:00

An extract found in the cotton plant, gossypol, has shown the strongest anti-inflammatory actions yet seen in the scientific world. In the lab it completely knocks out dozens of different forms of skin inflammation and normalizes dilated, inflammed and hyper-reactive blood vessels. Gossypol's first indication is for the treatment of psoriasis because it also has a normalizing effect on keratinocytes.
Pharmaceutical companies are moving very fast on this substance and have already placed them in nanosomes for penetration into the skin and timed release. Two other skin disorders on their list are rosacea and atopic dermatitis.
Once again, the researchers have never seen an anti-inflammatory as potent, fast acting, and effective on dozens of different inflammatory responses. It out-performed a medium potency, prescription only steroid in a split-face study which is unheard of. Also, the nanosomes drop it off at several different levels in the dermis to treat multiple levels of blood vessels and inflammation. Anecdotally, many patients report diminished burning and stinging sensations within minutes of nanosome delivered gossypol.

Combination Therapy For Psoriasis

2005-12-13T07:43:00.000-08:00

For people with mild psoriasis, one type of treatment is usually enough. But people with moderate or severe psoriasis often benefit from a combination of treatments. The best combinations are those in which the two therapies have complementary effects, so they can work together to create improved results. And since such combinations have better results, lowers doses of each treatment can be given, reducing the overall side effects.
A number of different regimens of pills, light therapy and topical agents can be used for combination therapy.
Here are the most common combinations:
Acriten plus light therapy: One popular regimen is acitretin, a retinoid taken as a pill, in combination with light therapy. While retinoids are only moderately effective on their own, they help light therapy work faster. So, skin clears with shorter treatments and fewer sessions, minimizing side effects from prolonged use of ultraviolet light. Adding light therapy also permits lower doses of acitretin to be used. Instead of taking 50 mg a day or more, people using combination therapy usually need only 10 or 25 mg a day. Researchers also suspect that acitretin may reduce the risk of skin cancer from light therapy, although this theory has yet to be proven.
Acitretin with ultraviolet B (UVB) is called reUVB, while acitretin with psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) is called rePUVA. The regimen requires the patient to begin taking acitretin about two weeks before adding light therapy.
Acitretin is relatively safe, but should not be taken by pregnant women because it can cause birth defects. Possible side effects include hair loss, cracking of the lips and high blood cholesterol.
UVB is also relatively safe; the most common side effects are burns. PUVA is more effective than UVB, but can lead to skin cancer if used too often. Cyclosporine and PUVA should not be combined because of the potential for cancer.
Methotrexate with UVB: Methotrexate pills and UVB is also a popular treatment combination. Methotrexate is very effective, but it has the potential to damage the liver and bone marrow. Combining this drug with UVB allows for lower, safer doses of methotrexate to be used. It also reduces the number and length of UVB treatments needed.
The combination usually involves several weeks of treatment with methotrexate before adding UVB treatments. The methotrexate dose is tapered and discontinued after the skin clears, and a maintenance regimen of UVB continues. The disadvantage of the regimen is that psoriasis may return after methotrexate is discontinued.
PUVA with UVB: A combination of PUVA and UVB appears to clear up skin more quickly than using either treatment alone. Another benefit to this combination is that overall exposure to ultraviolet radiation is reduced. The main drawback of this relatively new combination is that the long-term effects are unknown.
Methotrexate with cyclosporine: Methotrexate with cyclosporine, which is one of the most successful combinations used to treat psoriatic arthritis, also works well for psoriasis itself. It is especially effective in people who have pustules on their body. Low doses of methotrexate combined with low doses of cyclosporine clear skin better than either treatment alone and with fewer side effects. Cyclosporine is very effective against psoriasis, but it can cause kidney damage and elevated blood pressure.

Questions to ask your doctor:
Do you think I would benefit from combination therapy?
What type of combination therapy might be best for me?
What special precautions do I need to take with this treatment regimen?

Supported through an educational grant from Biogen Idec. For more information on psoriasis from Biogen Idec please click here.

Living With Psoriasis

2005-12-05T11:49:00.000-08:00

PSORIASIS may not be as life threatening as heart disease, diabetes or cancer but its total impact can be just as debilitating. It is a chronic skin disease affecting 2 - 3% of the population. It is found in all age groups. Men and women are equally likely to get it. Although psoriasis may occur for the first time at any age, most people have the first symptoms between the ages of 20 to 30 years old. There are several types of psoriasis, ranging from mild forms on restricted skin areas to severe forms covering the entire skin surface. The disease often seriously compromises the quality of life of the affected persons.
Psoriasis is immunologically and genetically determined, with a multifactorial inheritance. It can be triggered in predisposed persons by a number of factors, including bacterial infections, trauma, psychological stress, certain drugs, certain diseases, alcohol and over-exposure to the sun.

Prof Dr P.C.M. van de Kerkhof … ‘ Generally, it (psoriasis) has a greater impact on a patient’s psychosocial status compared to the impact on physical activity’“Patients with psoriasis are faced with numerous misconceptions and social prejudices. These misconceptions exclude psoriasis patients from public facilities such as receiving equal service or treatment in hair salons, public pools and health clubs,” explains Prof Dr P.C.M. van de Kerkhof.
This was one of the key findings of a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology 2004, shared by Prof Kerkhof in his lecture titled Psoriasis – State-of-the-Art in Management at the 7th Asian Congress of Dermatology held in Kuala Lumpur recently.
Prof Kerkhof, who is the Chief of the Department of Dermatology at the University Medical Centre of St Radboud in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, is also a much sought-after expert on skin disorders and studies particularly on psoriasis.
The quality of life of psoriasis patients is affected to a similar degree to that of patients with other diseases, such as migraine and mild rheumatoid arthritis, according to the findings by him.
Psoriasis can take on many forms. The most common is well-defined coin-shaped red, thick and scaly patches which when scraped or scratched, show bleeding points. It usually appears on the elbow, knees and scalp but may also affect the upper body, joints and nails.
There are a variety of types but no matter what form it takes, psoriasis patients can feel very uncomfortable, both because of the itch, the look and the stares from an innocent but uninformed public.
The negative impact psoriasis has on the physical dimension of quality of life includes burning sensations, joint pain, itching sensations and scaling skin. Those aspects will have a negative impact on the mental dimension of such patients, such as being stigmatised and a generally depressed attitude on life, especially one’s social life.
“Generally, it has a greater impact on patients’ psychosocial status in comparison with the impact on their physical activities, although both areas can be affected,” explains Prof Kherkhof.
“Severe chronic skin conditions such as psoriasis can be described as ‘life ruining’ although it is not ‘life-threatening’ compared to other man-killers like hypertension, diabetes and cancer,” he adds.
It has also been found that psoriasis has a significant impact on sexual relationships and sexual activity. It can also impair the quality of life of families. Treatment time, reluctance to leave home or avoidance of public places may interfere with family leisure time.
Quality of life can be adversely affected by treatments that require a great deal of time and/or effort to take/apply, are “messy” in nature, are slow acting, induce unpleasant side-effects, and/or do not produce a “satisfactory” degree of response in a patient.
Last year, another study commissioned by the National Psoriasis Foundation (of the United States) was published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. The study revealed that even a “small” amount of psoriasis can negatively impact daily life.

Psoriasis presents a unique challenge to patients, doctors and society as a whole.Closer to home, the first preliminary work on a National Psoriasis Registry only started in 1998. According to the statistics from the Registry, major aggravating factors are stress and exposure to strong sunlight over a period of time. Most patients suffer from plaque psoriasis (73.5%). Drugs such as traditional medication, body-building supplements, antibiotics and others also worsen the condition.
According to the National Psoriasis Registry, out of 25,717 patients who consulted the Dermatology Department of Kuala Lumpur Hospital from 1995 to 1999, psoriasis was the fourth most common skin problem with 5.2% (1,344 patients), after skin infection, eczema and acne.
Although Malaysia is only beginning to track and learn the dynamics of the condition, it is hoped that the knowledge and learning will help experts to provide better assistance to other and new psoriasis sufferers.

FDA Approval For Spray Clobex

2005-12-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

Galderma Laboratories announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the company approval to market its CLOBEX® (clobetasol propionate) Spray, 0.05% for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. CLOBEX® Spray is the only available super-high potency corticosteroid formulation that provides the clinically proven strength of clobetasol in a non-aerosol spray formulation.

CLOBEX® Spray was demonstrated to be safe and effective in two multi-center, randomized, double-blind studies involving 209 patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. In the first clinical trial, 82% of patients became clear or almost clear after four weeks of treatment, with 47% of these subjects becoming clear or almost clear in as early as two weeks. In a second study, 78% of patients were clear or almost clear after four weeks.

CLOBEX® Spray reflects the proven and well-known clinical profiles of CLOBEX® Lotion and Shampoo. Available by prescription since September 2003 and June 2004 respectively, CLOBEX® Lotion and Shampoo are clinically proven to reduce and/or eliminate the signs and symptoms of moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

Lupin Begins Clinical Trial Phase For Desoris

2005-11-29T09:41:00.000-08:00

Lupin has received approval for conducting phase II clinical trials of its Investigational New Drug candidate, the LLL-3348 (Desoris) from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

Desoris is proposed for the treatment of moderate to severe chronic stable plaque-type psoriasis. Desoris is a herbal aqueous extract of a single plant that has a novel mechanism of action and effectively modulates the cellular function leading to marked psoriatic lesion improvement without any toxic effects.

About the commencement of clinical trials of the drug, Lupin Chairman DB Gupta said that there is an imperative need of effective and safe drugs to be made available in the global pharmaceutical market for psoriasis and the company is very excited that the regulatory authorities found its data promising enough to give the permission for further trials.

The candidate has been developed conforming to guidelines laid down by the US FDA for botanicals as well as DCGI guidelines on new drug development. The project is being developed in collaboration with the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

The most common form of psoriasis is plaque-psoriasis which is a chronic, immune-mediated disease. The disease manifests itself as lesions that are classically well circumscribed, circular, red papules or plaques with a grey or silvery-white, dry scale. Psoriasis can have a significant negative impact on the physical, emotional and psychosocial well-being of patients.

Currently, there are several treatment modalities available for psoriasis including phototherapy and systemic therapies. But most of these are associated with significant cutaneous and systemic adverse effects. The side effect profile of existing drug therapies itself leads to marked reduction in patient's compliance.

The approval comes on Lupin's successful completion of the therapeutic evaluation and safety profiling of Desoris in a phase I single and multiple dose study in healthy volunteers.

Managing Winter Pssoriasis

2005-11-17T11:04:00.000-08:00

For some Americans, winter can bring a new set of challenges for their skin, hair and nail care. However, for individuals with psoriasis, this can be the most difficult season of all.
Environmental factors, such as cold winter weather and dry, indoor heat can rob the body of needed moisture and cause psoriasis symptoms to flare or worsen. The condition becomes even more severe when the stress of the holidays and winter illnesses combine and compromise the immune system.
“The physical and emotional discomfort felt by those with psoriasis can be challenging throughout the year,” says dermatologist Mark Lebwohl, M.D., professor and chairman, department of dermatology, the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. “Due to winter’s effect on the skin, patients should diligently monitor their condition carefully and consult with their dermatologist if they are concerned about changes on their skin during this time of year.”
Psoriasis affects 4.5 million Americans and is most commonly characterized by thick, red, white or scaly patches on the skin’s surface. Psoriasis is caused by the unusually rapid growth of skin cells that can build up on the skin’s surface -- usually around the knees, elbows, scalp, hands, feet or lower back -- and cause itching and severe discomfort.
Many treatments exist to help ease the emotional and physical discomfort for patients with psoriasis and can be prescribed by a dermatologist. Treatments are often selected based on the patient’s health, age, lifestyle and symptoms.
* Topical medications applied to the skin are used to treat mild to moderate psoriasis and are often prescribed by dermatologists at the first signs of the condition.
* Systemic medications treat the entire body and are often reserved for patients whose psoriasis is not responsive to topical medications or phototherapy.
* New biologic treatments, which target the precise immune responses involved in the development of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, are used to treat moderate to severe conditions forms of these conditions.
* Phototherapy, or ultraviolet light treatment, is reserved for moderate to severe cases of psoriasis that do not respond to topical therapy.
“Patients with psoriasis should review their treatment options with a dermatologist since many innovative treatments and therapies now exist that can greatly improve the quality of life for people with psoriasis,” adds Dr. Lebwohl.

Psoriasis Winter Fashion Picture For Women

2005-11-14T08:25:00.000-08:00

What does winter fashion mean for women with psoriasis? Just like any other time of year, there's no reason you can't be comfortable and look great. Here are some highlights from this season's fashion-forward trends for any budget, age, and figure.
This winter, designers threw out the seasonal handbook. Instead, they turned to traditional springtime garb—skirts, feminine looks, dresses, and classic colors. The trend is casual-classy and always comfortable.
Layers are topsLayered tees and sweaters have a boyish bent—and a forgiving effect for any frame. Layers are a great way to keep from overheating. A soft, cotton shell is a perfect first layer to keep moisture away from your skin. So go nuts—it's almost impossible to make a mistake.
Featured look: Layer a denim jacket over a V-neck sweater, loose, button-down blouse with untucked hem, and cotton tee. Pair with jeans, skirts, khakis...anything.
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Basic black—and whiteWhether it's an oversized houndstooth check or a mod graphic look, black and white is a bold statement this season. However, many of the popular wintertime fabrics, like synthetics and scratchy wool, can be really irritating. So try adding a cotton layer next to your skin for maximum comfort.
Skirts or pants, it's your choiceMaybe you think the mini isn't for you, but here's some news that may make you rethink your hemline. Leg wear is back and bold—in bright, opaque colors and wonderful breathable cotton knits. Pair opaque tights with knee-high boots and you're only hinting at—instead of baring—skin.
But minis aren't your only skirt option. There are A-line and knee-length or mid-calf pencil skirts. One is sure to fit your comfort level and your frame.
Just not the skirt type? Cargos are still hot, and super skinny pants that are comfortable are a must-have. Both come in soft, natural fibers that are easily washable.
Cheap and easy chicTop-name retailers are catching on to our need for accessible fashion. So some of the hottest designers are now available at some of the hipper budget-friendly chains. Their prices make it a little easier to pick up a trendy item with a limited life span. So have fun. Attract some attention—and feel great about it!

Psoriasis Winter Fashion Picture For Men

2005-11-10T03:01:00.000-08:00

Feel like you've got limited options when it comes to fashion and your skin? Does the idea of wearing winter wools and sweaty synthetics send a shiver down your spine? Don't let the cold turn you into a fashion disaster. We've asked around to find out what's hot this winter. And because we know that some clothes—regardless of the season—can be uncomfortable for people with psoriasis, we've also included some tips to help protect your skin.
PatternsSkip the worn-out, tone-on-tone look when putting on a suit and tie. Try mixing your patterns by accenting your suit with a striped shirt and solid tie. And as you may well know, lighter colors and patterns usually hide flakes better than dark solids.
Blended, natural fabrics that breathe can keep irritation to a minimum by reducing chafing. It's also a good idea to wear a cotton tee shirt under your dress shirt—or sweater or vest—to keep moisture away from your skin.
Hint: To make two different patterns work well together, make sure they're the same size (for example, big plaids with big stripes, small plaids with small stripes.) But if you're wearing two striped items, make sure the stripes are varied in size (some thick, some thicker).
Here's a fashion cheat sheet:
Bigger, bolder patterns make you look bigger.
Horizontal patterns make you look wider.
Vertical patterns make you look taller and thinner.
Trouser cuffs make short legs look shorter.
Mixing it upCombine your casual and dressy clothing this winter. Remember, layering in the winter helps you better regulate your body temperature and cut down on perspiration. This can help ease the irritation of psoriasis.
Try layering a single-breasted suit coat with a cool, casual, button-down shirt over a dark tee shirt (great for hiding stains from ointment). Then pull on your favorite older-looking jeans.
Or wear your suit trousers with a tee shirt, white button-down shirt, and a jean jacket. And by all means, leave the tie at home.
Remember, contrast makes this winter's look really work. Choosing what's comfortable can make fashion work for you. So get bold. There's no reason not to attract a little positive attention to yourself.
Special tips for men with psoriasis
Get loose. For example, boxers made of soft cotton or even natural silk are better than briefs to help maximize airflow and minimize perspiration.
Cotton liners inside gloves are a great extra barrier against chafing, cold, and perspiration. They can also help medications penetrate skin.

The Molecular Picture of Psoriasis

2005-11-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

Psoriasis is defined as an inherited skin disease. While we haven't isolated the gene yet, we have discovered that there is more than one gene coding it -- it has a different mutation in different families.
Like many diseases, once you start looking at the molecular biology, while the clinical picture of psoriasis can be fairly uniform, the genetic picture of psoriasis never is. Since the clinical picture of psoriasis is not by any means uniform, so this is really comes to no surprise.
The ultimate treatment of psoriasis will depend on the molecular biology.

A General Picture of Psoriasis

2005-11-05T15:35:00.000-08:00

The psoriasis picture can vary in intensity from a very few spots, so mild that one may not even be aware of it; to a more chronic picture of psoriasis involvong open wounds and scaling skin.

Psoriasis may range from just a few spots anywhere on the body to large areas of involvement.

It is not contagious or spread able from one part of the body to another or from one person to another.

There is no blood test to diagnose psoriasis. The diagnosis is made by observation and examination of the skin. Sometimes microscopic examination of the skin (biopsy) is helpful where the changes are not typical or characteristic.

The exact cause of psoriasis is unknown, but hereditary and genetic factors are important. Psoriasis runs in families. This does not mean, however, that every child of a parent with psoriasis will develop psoriasis, but it is common that somewhere down the line psoriasis will appear in families.

Psoriasis is not caused by allergies, infections, dietary deficiencies or excesses, or nervous tension.

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THE ALTERNATIVE PSORIASIS TREATMENT PICTURE

2005-11-03T12:05:00.000-08:00

The success rates of alternative psoriasis treatments are difficult to measure, as conclusive test results are not available. Psoriasis has traditionally been one of the skin conditions that has stumped researchers and has proven very difficult to cure. Unfortunately, many alternative treatment types available may not actually work, and many 'cures' play on the need of the patient and as merely a means to make money. There is not one treatment out there that is a miracle cure. If that was the case, the cure would widely be known and not be a secret, hidden cure.
However, there is no doubt that some alternative psoriasis treatment types do work, and some treatments may benefit one person and not another. Many natural treatments include Acupuncture, Ayurveda, Manipulation, Osteopathy, Climate, Diet, Dietary Supplements, Homeopathy, Water Therapy, Chinese Medicine, Meditation and Relaxation, Herbal therapies, Topical Moisturizing Products, and Magnets. Seeking consultation from a doctor is very important before trying any self-treatments.

Your Psoriasis Questions Answered

2005-10-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

What is Psoriasis? Notice patches of raised red skin with a white flaky buildup? Read more about what psoriasis looks like, the different types and what causes it. Types, Triggers, Newly Diagnosed

Psoriasis Relief See your doctor for a diagnosis and learn more about the treatment options that are best for you.Biologics, Topicals, Systemics

Managing Psoriasis There are many actions you can take to manage psoriasis. It's time to learn more and regain control!Outlook, FAQ, Additional Resources

Galderma's "New" Psoriasis Treatment Is An Old Drug

2005-10-24T03:39:00.000-07:00

Galderma Laboratories announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the company approval to market its CLOBEX(R) (clobetasol propionate) Spray, 0.05% for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. CLOBEX(R) Spray is the only available super-high potency corticosteroid formulation that couples the clinically proven strength of clobetasol in an advanced, highly-convenient, non-aerosol spray formulation.

CLOBEX(R) Spray was demonstrated to be safe and effective in two multi- center, randomized, double-blind studies involving 209 patients with moderate- to-severe psoriasis. In the first clinical trial, 82% of patients became clear or almost clear after four weeks of treatment, with 47% of these subjects becoming clear or almost clear in as early as two weeks. In a second study, 78% of patients were clear or almost clear after four weeks."CLOBEX(R) Spray will be a welcome option for the millions of psoriasis patients who struggle with their treatment regimen," said Albert Draaijer, President, Galderma Laboratories, L.P. "The product's vehicle has been specifically designed to efficiently deliver clobetasol propionate to the skin. Above and beyond its unsurpassed efficacy, the easy application of this advanced vehicle will allow even the most active psoriasis patients to remain compliant with their therapy."

In controlled clinical trials, the following adverse reactions have been reported: burning, pruritus, dryness, pain, hyperpigmentation around resolving plaque, irritation and atrophy. CLOBEX(R) Spray is not recommended for use on anyone younger than 18 years of age. The total dosage should not exceed 50 g (59 mL or 2 fl oz) per week.

Patients should use CLOBEX(R) Spray, 0.05% only for the minimum period necessary to achieve desired results.CLOBEX(R) Spray reflects the proven and well-known clinical profiles of CLOBEX(R) Lotion and Shampoo.

Available by prescription since September 2003 and June 2004 respectively, CLOBEX(R) Lotion and Shampoo are clinically proven to reduce and/or eliminate the signs and symptoms of moderate-to-severe psoriasis.Understanding the needs of psoriasis patients -- and providing products to address their special needs -- is a longstanding priority for Galderma. To better understand the impact of psoriasis on the lives of young adults, Galderma is partnering with the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) on a first-of-its-kind survey campaign directed to college-age individuals."College-age individuals seem to be affected by their psoriasis in ways that are perhaps different from than other patients," said Gail Zimmerman, Executive Director, NPF. "This new research will allow us to better understand this very unique patient population and introduce potential strategies to minimize their social and emotional impact." Results of the survey are expected for release in January.

The Factual Picture of Psoriasis

2005-10-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition affecting approximately 4.5 million people in the United States.

New skin cells grow too rapidly, resulting in inflamed, swollen, scaly patches of skin in areas where the old skin has not shed quickly enough.

Psoriasis can be limited to a few spots or can involve more extensive areas of the body, appearing most commonly on the scalp, knees, elbows and trunk.

Psoriasis is not a contagious disease. The cause of psoriasis is unknown, and there currently is no cure.

Psoriasis can strike people at any age, but the average age of onset is approximately 28 years. Likewise, it affects both men and women, with a slightly higher prevalence in women than in men.

Approximately 30 percent of people with psoriasis are estimated to have moderate-to-severe forms of the disease.

Psoriasis can be a physically and emotionally painful condition. It often results in physical limitations, disfiguration and a significant burden in managing the daily care of the disease.

Psoriasis sufferers may feel embarrassed, angry, frustrated, fearful, depressed and, in some cases, even suicidal.

The Pustular Psoriasis Picture

2005-10-19T02:56:00.000-07:00

This type of psoriasis usually appears as a large red area covered with yellow-green pustules. They tend to be one to two millimeters in diameter and are quite tender. The yellow color is caused by masses of white blood cells (polymorph leucocytes), which flood into any part of the skin that is damaged or infected, in order to fight infection and aid recovery.After seven to 10 days, the pustules become dispersed and a brown scale appears. This scale will start to shed as new pustules develop in other areas, often in a continuous cycle. The most common type of pustular psoriasis affects the palms and soles. It isn't normally itchy however it can be sore or uncomfortable to use either your hands or feet, for example if you are writing or walking.

THE PICTURE OF GUTTATE PSORIASIS

2005-10-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

Causes of Psoriasis

2005-10-13T03:57:00.000-07:00

Researchers believe the immune system sends faulty signals that speed up the growth cycle in skin cells. Certain people carry genes that make them more likely to develop psoriasis, but not everyone with these genes develops psoriasis. Instead, a "trigger" makes the psoriasis appear in those who have these genes. Also, some triggers may work together to cause an outbreak of psoriasis; this makes it difficult to identify individual factors.Possible psoriasis triggers include: emotional stress; injury to the skin; some types of infection; reaction to certain drugs. Once the disease is triggered, the skin cells pile up on the surface of the body faster than normal. In people without psoriasis, skin cells mature and are shed about every 28 days. In psoriatic skin, the skin cells move rapidly up to the surface of the skin over three to six days. The body can't shed the skin cells fast enough and this process results in patches also called "lesions" forming on the skin's surface.

The Psoriatic Arthritis Picture

2005-10-12T01:04:00.000-07:00

Psoriatic arthritis occurs in less than 10% of people with psoriasis. Its treatment often requires consultation with a rheumatologist in addition to treatment of the skin lesions by a dermatologist. It occurs most frequently in psoriasis patients whose disease is active, especially in persons with the pustular type of psoriasis. Occasionally it appears in a person who has no dermatologic signs or symptoms of psoriasis, in which case it must be diagnosed by its unique laboratory test results. Psoriasis of the fingernails and toenails is associated with a higher incidence of psoriatic arthritis. Symptoms of psoriatic arthritis resemble those of rheumatoid arthritis, although the diseases are otherwise quite different. Arthritis changes cause deterioration and pain in small joints of the hands and feet, large joints of the legs and spine, and tendons. Nonspecific foot pain or "tennis elbow" may be an early symptom to appear and may be overlooked if not associated with psoriatic skin or nail lesions.

The Picture of Scalp Psoriasis

2005-10-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

Scalp psoriasis occurs in at least half of all people with psoriasis. It can range from very mild with fine scaling to very severe with thick, crusted plaques. Scalp psoriasis may appear as lesions that extend from the hairline onto the forehead and the nape of the neck. It is common for the psoriasis to appear behind the ears. Scalp psoriasis usually accompanies plaques in other areas of the body. Scalp psoriasis scales appear powdery with a silvery sheen. Possible causes of scalp psoriasis include: scalp treatments and severe psoriasis can both cause temporary hair loss; itching, picking and scratching lesions can worsen the psoriasis by causing a Koebner phenomenon (psoriasis appearing on the site of skin injuries).

The Historical Picture of Psoriasis

2005-10-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis has been around since the days of Greek mythology, more than 2,500 years ago. It was considered a curse from the gods.

The Bible refers to psoriasis but mistakenly calls it leprosy. For hundreds of years, people with the disease were ostracized and forced to wander as homeless beggars. Some had to wear warning bells so others could avoid their paths. Some suffered the same fate as lepers, who were burned at the stake in the 14th century."

Amazingly, psoriasis was a disease that had been misunderstood for more than 2,000 years before it was clearly defined (in the early 1800s) and named what we know it as today."

Understanding Psoriasis

2005-10-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

The Symptomatic Picture of Psoriasis

2005-10-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

Individuals with psoriasis experience symptoms such as itching, cracking, stinging, burning, or bleeding. Lack of sunlight and low indoor humidity in the winter months can cause the psoriasis symptoms to worsen. The skin is most likely to crack at the joints where the body bends, or in areas where the individual scratches. Scratching should be strictly avoided, because it can cause bleeding and infection. Psoriasis has also been known to cause pits or dents to form in fingernails and toenails. There is also the possibility that the soft tissue inside the mouth and genitalia can be affected. In some cases, psoriasis will cause joint inflammation that produces arthritis symptoms. This condition is called psoriatic arthritis.People with psoriasis may notice that there are times when their skin worsens, then improves. Conditions that may cause flare-ups include changes in climate, infections, stress, and dry skin. Also, certain medicines, most notably beta-blockers, which are used in the treatment of high blood pressure, and lithium or drugs used in the treatment of depression, may cause an outbreak or worsening of the disease.

A Factual Picture of Psoriasis

2005-10-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition affecting approximately 4.5 million people in the United States.
New skin cells grow too rapidly, resulting in inflamed, swollen, scaly patches of skin in areas where the old skin has not shed quickly enough.
Psoriasis can be limited to a few spots or can involve more extensive areas of the body, appearing most commonly on the scalp, knees, elbows and trunk.
Psoriasis is not a contagious disease. The cause of psoriasis is unknown, and there currently is no cure.
Psoriasis can strike people at any age, but the average age of onset is approximately 28 years. Likewise, it affects both men and women, with a slightly higher prevalence in women than in men.
Approximately 30 percent of people with psoriasis are estimated to have moderate-to-severe forms of the disease.Psoriasis can be a physically and emotionally painful condition. It often results in physical limitations, disfiguration and a significant burden in managing the daily care of the disease.
Psoriasis sufferers may feel embarrassed, angry, frustrated, fearful, depressed and, in some cases, even suicidal.

Treating Psoriasis With Cotton Extracts

2005-09-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

A substance found in the cotton plant could help treat the common skin disease psoriasis, according to new research from the Pharmacy School at Sunderland University to be launched today (Tuesday 27 September 2005) at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester.
Gossypol is a natural toxin that is thought to protect the cotton plant from insect damage. In the past it has been investigated as a male contraceptive but no product was ever marketed. Dr Kalliopi Dodou from Sunderland University reports that, since discovery of gossypol's antifertility activity in the 1960s, studies had indicated that it might also have anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory activity.
"Such activity suggested possible therapeutic use in psoriasis, since the disease is associated with skin inflammation and hyper-proliferation of cells (keratinocytes) in the outer skin layers," she says. "It is this hyper-proliferation that leads to the characteristic scaly skin patches in patients with psoriasis."
Dr Dodou tested the efficacy of gossypol and synthetic derivatives in treating the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV infection is associated with benign hyper-proliferation. The tested compounds were found to inhibit keratinocyte proliferation, with gossypol itself being the most active.
In further studies gossypol was also shown to have anti-oxidant activity. Dr Dodou explains that this is also potentially useful in treating psoriasis: "One of the theories of the pathogenesis of psoriasis is that the condition is related to imbalance in the body's anti-oxidant system. Some studies have shown people with psoriasis to have high levels of oxidative metabolites. Gossypol might therefore stop oxidation of the fatty acids in the skin."
Dr Dodou is to tell the conference that gossypol appears to dampen down inflammation and hyper-proliferation and is a good candidate for the topical treatment of psoriasis. She said that subsequent work showed that formulating gossypol into a cream would be feasible.

The Picture of Psoriasis Management

2005-09-25T05:32:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition in which new skin cells grow too fast. This causes thick, dry, scaly patches of skin to form in areas where the old skin hasn't shed quickly enough.
If you've been diagnosed with psoriasis, there are several things you can do to help manage flare-ups.
Health Canada suggests you:
Keep your skin moist.
Apply creams and ointments slowly and gradually in the direction of your hair's growth.
Avoid using very hot water when bathing or showering.
Use mild soaps and deodorants.
Use brushes with soft bristles. Wash your hair gently and let it dry naturally whenever possible.
Avoid picking or scratching skin and skin injuries. An injury to the skin can cause psoriasis patches to form at the site.

Clinical Trials on Possible New Psoriasis Treatment

2005-09-21T03:40:00.000-07:00

Isotechnika said data from a Canadian Phase III trial for its immunosuppressive drug, ISA247 met all primary and secondary effectiveness endpoints at 12 weeks with minimal side effects.
The trial of 453 patients with stable moderate to severe plaque psoriasis was conducted at 32 sites over a 24 week period using orally administered ISA247 in psoriasis patients.
"Our goal was to create a drug with a superior safety and efficacy profile compared to other medications used to treat psoriasis," Isotechnika president and chief operating officer Randall Yatscoff said in a release.
"We are pleased to have achieved these goals in the interim data analysis which indicates the presence of a therapeutic window. It is very encouraging to see that our 24-week endpoints were achieved at the 12 week point of the trial."

Phase One Clinical Trials for Psoriasis Treatment

2005-09-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

Celera Genomics has chosen Christchurch for phase one clinical tests of its Cathepsin S inhibitor, CRA-028129, and will dose about 70 volunteers with either CRA-028129 or a placebo. The subjects will not know which one they have been given,
Cathepsin S is an enzyme responsible for the breakdown of other natural proteins, but in some cases of autoimmune diseases it has been found to be poorly regulated by the body. Researchers propose that in those cases, controlling the enzyme could control psoriasis.
Celera said in a statement that it had the approval of New Zealand's director general of health for the tests, a committee of the Health Research Council, and a council ethics committee.
James Yee, head of development at Celera Genomics said the quality of clinical science and operations at the Christchurch trust meant that results from the study would be considered a valid basis to judge the suitability of CRA-028129 for further tests on people suffering from psoriasis.
Psoriasis is a genetic condition that causes the over-production of skin cells, leading to a thickening of the skin, resulting in raised red, scaly patches.
It is estimated to affect 1-3 per cent of the population worldwide, with two to three million of these patients suffering a moderate or severe form of the disease.
The most common form, plaque psoriasis, accounted for approximately 85 per cent of all cases, and caused raised, red patches covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells,.
Dr Yee said there was considerable evidence that the immune system was involved in the disease, and there was evidence that inhibiting the production of Cathepsin S by some skin cells might reduce the immune reaction.
The company had identified two genetic markers in humans which it would use to check the behaviour of the compound in the volunteers. It expected that the medication would also be useful against other autoimmune diseases. Other researchers have proposed targeting Cathepsin S in treatments for the incurable diseases rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.