Take the Psoriasis Quiz Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease that affects millions of Americans. Although it can affect people of any age, it occurs mostly in young adults. Find out more about this disease by taking this quiz, based on information from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases, the American Academy of Dermatology, and the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF).
1. What happens to skin cells in a person with psoriasis?
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The normal turnover of skin cells—old cells dying and falling off, new cells rising to the surface—takes about a month. With psoriasis, the process is accelerated, occurring in only a few days. This results in patches of thick, red skin covered with silvery scales. These patches (also called plaques) itch or feel sore. Plaque psoriasis is the most common form, but four other forms have been identified, according to the NPF. These are guttate, which has small, dot-like lesions; pustular, which is marked by weeping lesions and intense scaling; inverse, very red areas with very little or no plaque; and erythrodermic, which is marked by intense shedding and redness.
A. Skin cells pile up on the surface of the skin before they are matureB. Mature skin cells can't make their way to the surface of the skinC. Skin cells die before becoming matureD. B and C
5. What can make psoriasis worse?
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The NPF also lists these as possible triggers: damage to the skin in the form of scratches,
vaccinations , and sunburns; strep infections; dry weather; diet; and
allergies . Other medications that may bring on an outbreak of psoriasis include the antidepressant lithium, medicines for malaria, some heart medications, and some medications for arthritis.
8. How is psoriasis treated?
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Doctors often use a 1-2-3 approach in treating psoriasis: topical treatment, followed by light therapy, followed by medication that treats the entire immune system. Topical treatments include corticosteroids or anthralin to reduce inflammation and turnover of skin cells; calcipotriene, a form of vitamin D; retinoids, a form of vitamin A; coal tar; salicylic acid; clobetasol propionate; bath oil; and moisturizers. Phototherapy, in the form of sunlight or an ultraviolet-B light box, causes the activated T cells to die. This eases the inflammation and slows the turnover of skin cells. Light therapy also may include the topical medicine psoralen combined with ultraviolet A rays; this combo is called PUVA. For more severe forms of psoriasis, doctors may prescribe medicines that suppress the immune system. These include methotrexate, retinoids, cyclosporine, 6-thioguanine, hydroxyurea, and biologic response modifiers.
A. Topical medicinesB. PhototherapyC. Immune system treatmentD. All of the above
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