Psoriasis: It's Not Just About You Skin

Often, the first symptoms of psoriasis occur on the skin. The disease causes skin cells to multiply faster, but not shed any faster. This leads to the formation of red, itchy, and inflamed patches. For some patients, this is as bad as the condition ever gets, and the symptoms are entirely manageable with various creams and medication. However, psoriasis is not just a skin condition. Many patients with psoriasis eventually start experiencing some other problems and challenges, such as the following.

Arthritis

Many people with psoriasis later develop psoriatic arthritis. This is a condition in which the joints become inflamed and painful. It occurs due to the autoimmune element of psoriasis. Basically, the body's immune system becomes over-enthusiastic and starts attacking other tissues, including the joint tissues. Psoriatic arthritis often starts off quite minor, and patients do not always realize there is a connection with their skin condition. The soreness may be present just in the morning or just after physical activity. As time goes on, though, the arthritis symptoms become more prevalent and hard to ignore. At this stage, most patients are prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs and also immunosuppressants to keep the joint pain under control.

Finger and Toenail Deformation

It is also common for the fingernails and toenails to be affected by psoriasis. The symptoms generally start at the nailbed, with new nail tissue being affected as it emerges. The nails may appear thick and yellow — similar to as if there were a fungal infection. Other times, the nails may develop deep grooves and pits. There's not a lot that patients can do about these nail changes. The steroid creams used to manage skin-related symptoms can lead to mild to moderate improvement, but the change is not instant. Fingernail and toenail deformation is not usually reason enough for a doctor to prescribe immunosuppressants, but if patients start taking them for psoriatic arthritis, they often see an improvement in nail condition as well.

Psychosocial Disorders

Psychosocial disorders are not directly caused by the immune system dysfunction that leads to other psoriasis symptoms, but they are very common in patients with psoriasis. Often, they are related to the stress of being aware that one's skin is imperfect. Getting effective treatment for psoriasis can help with this. Many patients also benefit from going to therapy, where they can talk through their stress and insecurities with a qualified professional.

Psoriasis is largely about the skin, but it's not just about the skin. Make sure you keep an eye out for the other symptoms above as your disease progresses.