Friday, April 19, 2024

Is Psoriasis A Symptom Of Something Else

Heat Rash: Sweating That Leads To Bumpy Red Skin

What Causes Plaque Psoriasis

Inverse psoriasis is a type of psoriasis that forms in the armpits and skin folds under breasts or in groin areas, making the skin red and shiny. Sweating makes this type of psoriasis worse. Heat rash also makes your skin red and forms in skin folds of the groin, breasts, and armpits. Heat rash occurs in hot, humid conditions. Sweating can cause your pores to get blocked and result in a bumpy, red skin rash that stings. Heat rash is more common in newborns, but can also affect older children and adults.

Do You Think Youve Been Misdiagnosed

If youre concerned about being misdiagnosed, make an appointment with your dermatologist. You may even want to request a skin biopsy so you can get a more definitive diagnosis. While youre at it, try to think of information that might help with identification.

Ask yourself:

  • Do I have a family history of psoriasis?
  • How long have I noticed symptoms?
  • Where is the affected area located?
  • Are there any triggers that might have produced my symptoms? If so, what are they?
  • Do I have signs that align with any of the look-alike conditions?
  • Are there any other symptoms, like swollen joints, that are bothering me?

If you still arent satisfied after your appointment, seek a second opinion. You can ask your primary care doctor for a referral for a dermatologist. A dermatologist is usually your best bet for getting the most accurate diagnosis of a skin condition.

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Injuries Or Damage To Your Skin

Though a minor cut or scrape may not seem like a big deal, it can potentially lead to a flare-up according to Dr. Feinberg, who says that skin lesions are a common source of local flares.

“Almost anything that causes damage to an area of skin can cause psoriasis to come out when we’re dealing with an overall flare-up of the disease,” he explains. “It can be any type a small cut or injury.”

Getting a sunburn can also be the cause of flares. As AAD points out, “even a mild sunburn can worsen existing psoriasis and cause new psoriasis to form.”

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Tips For Getting The Right Diagnosis

For the best chance of getting the right diagnosis, a person should make sure they give an accurate history when a doctor or dermatologist asks. The more information a medical professional has to work with, the more likely they are to diagnose a persons illness correctly.

This is especially important with skin conditions such as psoriasis. A medical professional will typically rely on both a history and a visual assessment to work out what a persons skin condition is. A visual assessment alone may not be enough.

If a person is unsure about their diagnosis, they can request further diagnostic tests. This may involve speaking to a dermatologist, who might use dermoscopy or recommend a skin biopsy.

A skin biopsy involves taking a small sample of the skin and sending it to a lab for testing.

The Final Stage Of Fibrosis Is Cirrhosis

Itchy Rash: Is It Psoriasis or Something Else?

Cirrhosis is where your liver is severely scarred and permanently damaged. While the word cirrhosis is most commonly heard when people discuss alcohol-induced liver disease, cirrhosis is caused by many forms of liver disease.

While fibrosis is reversible there is a point where the damage becomes too great and the liver cannot repair itself. There is no treatment that can cure cirrhosis. If possible, treating the underlying cause of cirrhosis may keep your cirrhosis from getting worse and help prevent liver failure. Successful treatment may slowly improve some of your liver scarring. It is important to avoid things that could damage your liver further like alcohol, certain medications and fatty food. Treatment for someone with cirrhosis often means managing the symptoms of cirrhosis and preventing further damage to avoid liver failure. Doctors treat liver failure with a liver transplant. Someone with cirrhosis is at a very high risk of developing liver cancer. It is very important to receive routine liver cancer surveillance if you have cirrhosis most people who develop liver cancer have evidence of cirrhosis. Doctors also treat liver cancer with a transplant. It is important to note, people often live with cirrhosis for a long time before the option of liver transplant is discussed.

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Measles: A Facial Rash That Can Cover The Body

Like guttate psoriasis, measles also follow symptoms of an upper respiratory infection in children and cause a skin rash of small, red spots. However, the measles skin rash usually starts on the face and spreads down to cover the body and is accompanied by fever, cough, and a runny nose. Measles rash is also flat, while the rash of psoriasis is typically raised. Measles is caused by a virus and is contagious, though the measles vaccination has made this a rare disease in the United States.

What Are The Treatment Options For Liver Failure

Since damage to the liver leads to liver failure, treatment involves addressing whats causing liver damage to occur.

For example, antiviral medications can be used to treat a viral hepatitis infection, or immune suppressing medication can be given to treat autoimmune hepatitis.

Lifestyle changes may also be recommended as a part of your treatment. These can include things like abstaining from alcohol, losing weight, or avoiding the use of certain medications.

According to the American Liver Foundation, damage from the inflammation and fibrosis stages of liver failure may be reversed and healed over time . The liver damage caused by cirrhosis is often not reversible, although it can be slowed or stopped.

In people with severe cirrhosis or ESLD, a liver transplant may be necessary. This involves removing the diseased liver and replacing it with a liver from a healthy donor.

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Liver Complications Of Cirrhosis

Liver cancer

Cirrhosis due to any cause increases the risk of primary liver cancer . Primary refers to the fact that the tumor originates in the liver. A secondary liver cancer is one that originates elsewhere in the body and spreads to the liver.

The most common symptoms and signs of primary liver cancer are abdominal pain and swelling, an enlarged liver, weight loss, and fever. In addition, liver cancers can produce and release a number of substances, including ones that cause an increased in red blood cell count , low blood sugar , and high blood calcium .

Hepatic encephalopathy

Some of the protein in food that escapes digestion and absorption is used by bacteria that are normally present in the intestine. While using the protein for their own purposes, the bacteria make substances that they release into the intestine to then be absorbed into the body. Some of these substances, such as ammonia, can have toxic effects on the brain. Ordinarily, these toxic substances are carried from the intestine in the portal vein to the liver where they are removed from the blood and detoxified.

When cirrhosis is present, liver cells cannot function normally either because they are damaged or because they have lost their normal relationship with the blood. In addition, some of the blood in the portal vein bypasses the liver through other veins. The result of these abnormalities is that toxic substances cannot be removed by the liver cells, and instead accumulate in the blood.

Who Will Be Responsible For My Healthcare

Psoriasis – Symptoms and Causes

Youre likely to see a team of healthcare professionals.

Your doctor, usually a rheumatologist, will be responsible for your overall care. And a specialist nurse may help monitor your condition and treatments. A skin specialist called a dermatologist may be responsible for the treatment of your psoriasis.

You may also see:

  • a physiotherapist, who can advise on exercises to help maintain your mobility
  • an occupational therapist, who can help you protect your joints, for example, by using splints for the wrist or knee braces. You may be advised to change the way you do some tasks to reduce the strain on your joints.
  • a podiatrist, who can assess your footcare needs and offer advice on special insoles and good supportive footwear.

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What Else Should I Know

Making healthy choices can help with psoriasis. Here are some things you can do:

  • If you smoke, quit. Smoking can trigger outbreaks of psoriasis in some people.
  • Avoid alcohol. It can make psoriasis treatments less effective.
  • Eat healthy foods. Eating a lot of fruits and vegetables can help fend off diseases that might trigger psoriasis.
  • Stay at a healthy weight. This decreases the risk of inverse psoriasis.
  • Keep skin clean and well moisturized. Bathing daily with bath salts or oils and then applying moisturizer can help ease the symptoms of psoriasis.

People who have psoriasis may feel self-conscious about how it looks. Thats one reason why some people turn to a therapist or join a support group of people who understand what they might be going through.

The key to psoriasis treatment is keeping up on whatever your doctor prescribes. If that means applying an ointment twice a day, then find a way to remind yourself to do it so you dont forget. Psoriasis is one of those things that you need to stay focused on treating, even when youre feeling OK.

Whether your psoriasis is mild or severe, learn all you can about it. Talk to your doctor or check websites like:

What Is Chronic Plaque Psoriasis

. Accordingly, what is the main cause of plaque psoriasis?

The sped-up skin cell production causes new skin cells to develop too quickly. They are pushed to the skin’s surface, where they pile up. This results in the plaques that are most commonly associated with psoriasis. The attacks on the skin cells also cause red, inflamed areas of skin to develop.

One may also ask, can plaque psoriasis be cured? There is currently no cure for plaque psoriasis, but many treatment options are available, depending on the individual and the severity of symptoms. Options include: topical treatments, including ointments, creams, and shampoos to relieve skin symptoms. light therapy to relieve skin symptoms and possibly prevent flares.

Regarding this, is chronic plaque psoriasis contagious?

Psoriasis causes red, scaly patches to appear on the skin. It can look like a rash, so you may worry that you could get it from someone else or pass it to others. But rest easy: It’s not contagious. You cannot catch the disease by touching someone who has it.

How long do psoriasis plaques last?

Once a person has had a psoriasis flare, they are likely to have another one. Patches of psoriasis may clear up after a few months, or they may stay the same, get bigger, or spread across the body. In some people, psoriasis will disappear and not return for years.

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Stages Of Alcoholic Liver Damage

People who drink excessively and continue to drink heavily develop cirrhosis in 3 separate stages. These are described below.

  • The first stage of alcohol-related liver disease is known as fatty liver, which almost all excessive drinkers develop. Its a side effect of the liver breaking alcohol down and disappears when you drink less.
  • The second stage of alcohol-related liver disease is alcoholic hepatitis. Around 20-30% of people who continue to drink heavily develop alcoholic hepatitis. During this stage, the liver becomes inflamed. If alcoholic hepatitis deteriorates into its most extreme form it can lead to death.
  • About 10% of heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis, which is the third stage of alcohol-related liver disease.

This risk of developing cirrhosis, along with the risk of alcoholic hepatitis, is one of the main reasons the government recommends that men and women should not regularly drink more than 14 units a week. If you do drink as much as 14 units a week, it is advised that you spread your drinking over three or more days.

A unit of alcohol is roughly equivalent to half a pint of normal-strength lager or a single measure of spirits. A small glass of wine is about 1.5 units.

What Are Other Types Of Psoriasis

Could this be another Psoriasis breakout or something else ...

Plaque psoriasis is the most common type. About 80% to 90% of people with psoriasis have plaque psoriasis.

Other, less common types of psoriasis include:

  • Inverse psoriasis appears in skin folds. It may look like thin pink plaques without scale.
  • Guttate psoriasis may appear after a sore throat caused by a streptococcal infection. It looks like small, red, drop-shaped scaly spots in children and young adults.
  • Pustular psoriasis has small, pus-filled bumps on top of the red patches or plaques.
  • Sebopsoriasis typically appears on the face and scalp as red bumps and plaques with greasy yellow scale. This type is a cross between psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis.

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When Psoriatic Disease Strikes The Hands And Feet

We take many common movements and activities for granted â until they become difficult or impossible to do. Get a grip on whatâs happening.

Our hands and feet are ultra-sensitive. Sensory neurons, which trigger pain sensations in the brain, cluster at the fingertips. The complex anatomical structure of hands and feet â with many joints, tendons and ligaments packed tightly together â gives us an acute sense of touch and lets us do precision movements. Our hands, particularly when used for communication through gesture, draw attention.Our feet are so important for our balance and mobility.

Thatâs why psoriatic disease, when it strikes the hands and feet, has an outsize effect. The symptoms can be more intense and more upsetting. Fingernail psoriasis, for instance, is often immediately noticeable and can make something as basic as a handshake feel uncomfortable. Pain and other symptoms of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in the hands and feet can make other routine tasks hard to accomplish.

Gary Bixby, who lost all his fingernails and toenails to severe psoriasis , says psoriatic nail disease makes it painful to chop fuel for his wood-burning stove, a frustrating problem during winters at his home in Blair, Wisconsin.

âIt was affecting more fingernails, then my toenails and large areas on my arms, legs and trunk,â says Bixby. âThatâs when I went to a podiatrist, who thought I had psoriasis, and then to a dermatologist, who confirmed it.

Ringworm: Fungal Infections Of The Skin And Nails

Tinea is a type of fungal infection that resembles some symptoms of psoriasis. Psoriasis can cause the thick fingernails symptomatic of fungal nail infections, and both can cause red, itchy skin rashes. When tinea grows on your skin, it can cause a scaly, red skin rash that clears in the middle, called ringworm . Fungal infections of the skin and nails can be hard to treat. Antifungal medications work, but you may need to take them for a long time.

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Guttate Psoriasis: Small Red Spots

Guttate psoriasis the second most common type of psoriasis is characterized by multiple small, round red spots on the skin, usually widespread across the trunk and limbs. Often resulting from a bacterial or viral infection in children, such as strep throat, these spots come on suddenly and sometimes require oral medication or injections. Mild cases, however, may clear up without treatment.

Does Having Psoriasis Mean You Have A Weakened Immune System

Psoriasis Explained | Psoriasis Causes and Symptoms [2020]

Psoriasis itself doesnt weaken the immune system, but its a sign that the immune system isnt working the way it should. Anything that triggers the immune system can cause psoriasis to flare up. Common ailments like ear or respiratory infections can cause psoriasis to flare.

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Can Psoriasis Affect Only My Nails

In some cases, psoriasis may involve only the fingernails and toenails, although more commonly, nail symptoms will accompany psoriasis and arthritis symptoms. The appearance of the nails may be altered, and affected nails may have small pinpoint pits or large yellow-colored separations on the nail plate called “oil spots.” Nail psoriasis can be hard to treat but may respond to medications taken for psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. Treatments include topical steroids applied to the cuticle, steroid injections at the cuticle, or oral medications.

What Are The Types Of Psoriasis

According to the Mayo Clinic1, there are several types of psoriasis:

Plaque psoriasis is common and appears as dry, raised patches of skin covered with scales. Generally, these plaques happen on your elbows, knees, lower back, and scalp.

Nail psoriasis affects your fingernails and toenails. You may have many different symptoms including pitting, abnormal nail growth, discoloration, or separation of your nail from the nail bed.

Guttate psoriasis is more common in young adults and children. It can happen after you get an infection like strep throat and produces lesions that look like small drops on your abdomen, arms, or legs.

Inverse psoriasis primarily affects the groin, butt, and breast areas. The patches are smooth and tend to get worse when you sweat a lot or experience a lot of friction.

Pustular psoriasis is rare and causes sores that are filled with pus. You may get them on your palms or the soles of your feet.

Erythrodermic psoriasis is uncommon and causes a peeling, burning rash that can appear on your entire body.

You may read articles or hear other people discuss psoriatic arthritis in conjunction with psoriasis. Psoriatic arthritis is another autoimmune condition that causes painful, swollen joints. Having psoriasis increases your risk of developing psoriatic arthritis, so its important to let your doctor know of any joint symptoms you develop, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

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Can Psoriasis Be A Symptom Of Something Else

Is psoriasis more than skin deep? We take a closer look at what other issues psoriasis can co-exist with.

Psoriasis is a more complicated condition than it might first appear, and can be either symptomatic of – or a prelude to – other health issues. This is because psoriasis is an inflammatory condition that involves the way the whole body works it isnt just about the skin.

The picture is complicated, but can be summed up by these two statements:

  • Psoriasis can make you more prone to other conditions
  • Other conditions can make you more prone to psoriasis

Studies show that psoriasis is part of a wider health picture with other conditions more likely – though not inevitable! – if you have psoriasis. Talk to your doctor if you have psoriasis and find yourself getting other symptoms it may be that you need to make a different treatment plan.

If you’re worried about any of these conditions and need some expert support, contact the Psoriasis Association: discussing your concerns with people who know what you’re going through can help put things in perspective and give you some good coping mechanisms for living with psoriasis.

What other conditions are psoriasis sufferers more prone to?
  • Depression
  • Weight gain or weight loss
  • Arthritis/achy or swollen joints
What conditions can trigger psoriasis?
  • Stress
  • Immune system disorders such as HIV
  • Hormonal changes
  • Throat infections
  • Weight gain

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