Psoriasis - the causes of

Psoriasis, which is popularly known as scaly lichen, is a chronic non-infectious skin disease. The name comes from the Greek word "psoroo", which means "itching". The disease manifests mainly in the form of red scaly patches on the skin, although there are several types of psoriasis. To date, psoriasis is one of the most common non-infectious skin diseases, which affects about 4% of the world's population.

Types of psoriasis

There are several forms of psoriasis depending on the appearance of the plaques, their location, the cause and severity of the disease:

1. Vulgar (ordinary) psoriasis. The most common form of the disease, which accounts for up to 90% of cases. It appears in the form of inflamed plaques protruding above the skin.
2. Reverse or so-called psoriasis of flexural surfaces. Plaques above the surface of the skin almost does not protrude, localized in the area of ​​the armpits, groin, on the hips.
3. Guttate psoriasis. It looks like a rash covering large areas of skin.
4. Pustular psoriasis. One of the most severe forms. Its day is characterized by the formation of blisters (pustules), with the secondary infection of which psoriasis can go into a purulent form.
5. Erythrodermal psoriasis. It can be an exacerbation of ordinary psoriasis, with the spread of it to most of the skin.

Causes of psoriasis

Unambiguous causes of psoriasis have not been established to date. The most popular hypothesis is the autoimmune nature of the disease. That is, it is believed that the inflammation is associated with the malfunctioning of the human immune system, in which excessive production of lymphocytes and macrophages of the skin occurs. They attack healthy cells and thus cause the onset of an inflammatory process. In favor of this hypothesis is the fact that taking drugs that affect the immune system often has a positive effect in the treatment of psoriasis.

The second hypothesis relates psoriasis to primary skin diseases, which are caused by excessively rapid division of epidermal cells, resulting in the formation of inflamed plaques. From the point of view of this hypothesis, drugs that depress the division of epidermal cells, as well as those rich in vitamins A and D, are used for treatment, which also often has a positive effect.

The causes of the appearance of psoriasis

In addition to the above hypotheses, there are a number of established factors that can affect the immune system and trigger the onset of the disease, especially if there is a genetic predisposition:

1. In about 40% of cases, the manifestation of psoriasis is diagnosed after severe emotional shocks, depression, the influence of various stress factors.
2. Metabolic disorders, diseases of the digestive tract, in particular - chronic gastritis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis.
3. Infectious diseases, in particular influenza, scarlet fever , upper respiratory tract diseases can also cause the development of psoriasis.
4. Hormonal disorders.

The above reasons are the most common in the occurrence of psoriasis, and usually its primary manifestations are observed on the head or in the area of ​​natural folds (inguinal zone, elbows, armpits).

In other parts of the body the disease spreads for the following reasons:

1. Fungal lesions. The most common reason that provokes psoriasis of the nails.
2. Herpes.
3. Injuries and burns. Quite often, psoriasis can develop on the injured area of ​​the skin, and among the possible causes include sunburn . This factor usually causes the development of psoriasis in the open areas of the skin and on the head.
4. Seborrhea. Quite often it causes the development of psoriasis on the scalp.

It is worth noting that working with aggressive chemicals, cleaning and detergents is one of the reasons for the development of psoriasis on the hands.