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Pain of psoriasis is more than skin deep for sufferers Sept. 11, 2006 YOU could be forgiven for thinking that skin diseases are the Cinderella of the NHS. While conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease have treatment targets and are the subject of much medical activity, people with skin complaints are relatively neglected. Yet although skin diseases are rarely fatal, they are the cause of long-term misery for hundreds of thousands of us. One such condition is psoriasis, affecting around 100,000 people in Scotland alone. Normally skin is replaced every few weeks, with old, dead cells being cast off. In psoriasis - a condition famously endured by Michael Gambon's character in The Singing Detective - things are speeded up. Old and new skin cells visibly gather on the skin surface and flake away in clumps. We don't know exactly why this happens but psoriasis runs in families and an acute attack often seems to be brought on by outside circumstances such as stress or certain drugs. Psoriasis can appear at any age although it most commonly makes its presence first known in the teens. It can also appear anywhere on the body although elbows, knees and the scalp are the most usual sites. Often the rash is not very obvious to the outsider but sometimes, especially during an acute attack, the body can be covered in flaky, silver scales. The excess skin may drop away as huge flakes, causing a great deal of embarrassment all round. The rash of psoriasis is also quite common in skin folds, such as under the breasts or in the groin, when it appears red and shiny. Although psoriasis is best known as a skin complaint, it can cause havoc elsewhere in the body. The condition can cause inflammation of one or more joints, in which the affected joint becomes swollen and painful. Tendons can be affected also. Finger and toenails can be pitted and deformed, especially when joints are affected. Treatment of psoriasis depends to a large extent on where it shows its presence. Many people with the condition have it so mildly that no active treatment is required, although almost everyone with psoriasis will benefit from using large quantities of moisturising cream. Scalp psoriasis can respond well to special scalp applications containing steroids or other skin preparations. If joints are affected, anti-inflammatory medication, such as ibuprofen, is often prescribed. Physiotherapy and, perhaps, splinting of seriously affected joints can also help. Read More : http://living.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=1341452006
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