Category Archives: Transhuman News

OverviewPsoriasis causes patches of red, scaly skin. It happens because your body has an overactive immune system. What is psoriasis?

Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation in your skin. Symptoms of psoriasis include thick areas of discolored skin covered with scales. These thick, scaly areas are called plaques.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition, which means it can flare up unexpectedly and theres no cure.

There are several types of psoriasis, including:

A psoriasis rash can show up anywhere on your skin. Psoriasis is common on your:

In most people, psoriasis covers a small area of their skin. In severe cases, the plaques connect and cover a large area of your body.

Psoriatic arthritis is a type of arthritis that causes joint pain and swelling. Similar to psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis is an autoimmune condition that causes your immune system to function abnormally and cause symptoms. About 1 in 3 people diagnosed with psoriasis will also develop arthritis due to inflammation. Early treatment of psoriatic arthritis can reduce damage to your joints.

People of any age, sex or race can get psoriasis. Psoriasis affects millions of people. More than 3% of the U.S. population has psoriasis.

Psoriasis and eczema are two different skin conditions. Both conditions cause similar symptoms like discolored skin, a rash and itching. Psoriasis plaques cause areas of thick skin covered in scales. Eczema causes a rash of dry and bumpy skin. Eczema also typically causes more intense itching than psoriasis.

Symptoms of psoriasis on your skin include plaques. Plaques look like:

An early sign of psoriasis is small bumps. The bumps grow, and scales form on top. The surface of the plaque might shed, but the scales beneath them will stick together. If you scratch your rash, the scales may tear away from your skin. This can cause bleeding. As the rash continues to grow, lesions (larger areas of skin damage) can form. Symptoms of psoriasis can range from mild to severe.

In addition to skin plaques or a rash, you might have symptoms that include:

If you scratch your plaque, you could break open your skin, which could lead to an infection. Infections are dangerous. If you experience severe pain, swelling and a fever, you have symptoms of an infection. Contact your healthcare provider if you have these symptoms.

An over-reactive immune system that creates inflammation in your skin causes psoriasis.

If you have psoriasis, your immune system is supposed to destroy foreign invaders, like bacteria, to keep you healthy and prevent you from getting sick. Instead, your immune system can mistake healthy cells for foreign invaders. As a result, your immune system creates inflammation or swelling, which you see on the surface of your skin as skin plaques.

It usually takes up to 30 days for new skin cells to grow and replace old skin cells. Your over-reactive immune system causes the timeline of new skin cell development to change to three to four days. The speed of new cells replacing old cells creates scales and frequent skin shedding on top of skin plaques.

Psoriasis runs in families. There may be a genetic component to psoriasis because biological parents may pass the condition down to their children.

An outbreak of psoriasis, or a flare up, causes symptoms of psoriasis as a result of contact with a trigger, which could be an irritant or an allergen. Psoriasis outbreaks differ from person to person. Common triggers for psoriasis flare ups include:

No, psoriasis isnt contagious. You cant get psoriasis by coming into contact with another persons psoriasis skin rash.

A healthcare provider or a dermatologist will diagnose psoriasis after a physical exam to look at your skin and review your symptoms. Theyll ask you questions that could include:

The appearance of a skin plaque leads to a psoriasis diagnosis, but symptoms can relate to other similar skin conditions, so your provider might offer a skin biopsy test to confirm your diagnosis. During this test, your provider will remove a small sample of skin tissue from your skin plaque and examine it under a microscope.

Several treatment options can relieve psoriasis symptoms. Common psoriasis treatments include:

Creams or ointments may be enough to improve the rash in small areas of your skin. If your rash affects larger areas, or if you also have joint pain, youll need other treatments. Joint pain may be a sign that you have arthritis.

Your provider will decide on a treatment plan based on:

If your symptoms of psoriasis dont improve after treatment, or if you have large areas of involvement (10% of your skin or more), your healthcare provider may recommend the following treatments:

Before starting treatment, talk to your healthcare provider about the side effects and mention any medications or supplements you currently take to avoid drug interaction.

For some people diagnosed with psoriasis, the skin condition causes more than itchiness, scaling skin and skin discoloration. It can lead to swollen joints and arthritis. If you have psoriasis, you may be at higher risk of:

If you have psoriasis, your provider will do regular blood pressure checks and monitor the progress of your treatment to avoid complications. You can take steps to prevent potential complications by:

A flare-up of psoriasis symptoms can last a couple of weeks to a few months. Your healthcare provider can speed up your skins recovery with certain medications. After your symptoms go away, your psoriasis is in remission. This means that you could have another outbreak of symptoms in the future. Your remission timeline could last a few months to a couple of years. If you notice your symptoms flare up when you contact certain triggers, avoiding those triggers leads to a long remission time.

There isnt a way to entirely prevent psoriasis. You can reduce your risk by following your healthcare providers treatment, living a healthy lifestyle, taking good care of your skin and avoiding triggers that can cause an outbreak of symptoms.

If you have psoriasis, its common to see symptoms show up during early adulthood, but the timeline of when symptoms begin is unique to every person. You may notice certain triggers in your environment that can cause a flare up of symptoms. Avoiding these triggers can lead to fewer outbreaks in the future.

Psoriasis can make you uncomfortable, itchy and self-conscious. If these symptoms are causing you physical or emotional distress, contact your healthcare provider for treatment.

There isnt a cure for psoriasis. Psoriasis is a chronic condition, which means that symptoms may come and go throughout your life. Treatment can relieve symptoms so you can look and feel your best.

To feel your best with psoriasis:

Other steps you should take to stay as healthy as possible:

Do regular skin self-exams to notice any changes in your skin. If you have skin changes, a rash thats not going away or a rash that gets worse, contact your healthcare provider.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Psoriasis, an itchy skin condition, can come and go throughout your life. Its related to an overactive immune response and isnt contagious. If you have skin changes that arent going away, talk to your healthcare provider. There isnt a cure for psoriasis, but psoriasis treatments can improve symptoms. Your provider may prescribe a special cream or moisturizer or medications. Other therapies are available if creams or medicines dont work. Maintaining your overall health will also help improve symptoms.

Read the rest here:
Psoriasis: What It Is, Symptoms, Causes, Types & Treatment

P

soriasis is estimated to affect two in 100 people in the UK.

While its a physiological ailment, many patients say that it has a significant impact on their lives and, thus, mental health.

So, what is psoriasis, how is it treated and which foods help ease its symptoms?

What is psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a non-contagious skin condition that causes flaky patches of skin that can sometimes be itchy or sore, according to the NHS. These flaky skin patches then form scales on the body.

The colour of the skin patches differs; they can be pink, red, purple or dark brown. Similarly, the scales formed from flaky skin can be white, silvery, or grey.

The ailment impacts men and women equally and, while it can start at any age, adults aged between 20 and 30 and those between 50 and 60 are often more susceptible.

Patients have reported that their psoriasis either started or became worse after a trigger event in their lives, such a skin injury, the use of certain medicines or throat infections.

The condition has also been linked to an increased production of skin cells. While a healthy body will make and replace skin cells every three to four weeks, those with psoriasis do this in three to seven days, causing a build-up of skin cells. This build-up creates the flaky patches.

Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes flaky skin

Health experts still dont understand what causes the increased production of cells. However, some think it might be linked to a problem with the immune system.

The immune system, which is the bodys defence against infections and diseases, can start to attack healthy parts of the body by mistake when it is ailed.

Psoriasis has been seen to run in families, although the link between genetics and the skin condition remains unclear.

How is psoriasis treated?

Unfortunately, there is no cure for psoriasis, but there are treatments that can improve symptoms and the appearance of skin patches.

Topical treatments using creams and ointments are a common medical approach.

If these fail to help, or a patient has severe psoriasis, phototherapy, where types of UV light are exposed to the skin, may be used.

In very severe cases that dont respond to topical treatments or phototherapy, oral or injected medicines are used.

Lifestyle changes, such as your diet, are generally recommended as an everyday method of improving your symptoms.

Which foods help ease psoriasis symptoms?

Many psoriasis experts suggest that adopting an anti-inflammatory diet will help ease the symptoms of psoriasis.

While no diet will cure the condition, certain foods are known to help reduce inflammation. And having a balanced and healthy diet will support the overall wellbeing of your immune system, which also helps.

Anti-inflammatory foods such as berries can reduce inflammation

Americas National Psoriasis Foundation shares that some anti-inflammatory foods that may help are olive oil, green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, nuts such as almonds and walnuts, fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna, and fruits such as berries, cherries and oranges.

Some studies have shown that the byproducts of an acid named arachidonic acid may also increase psoriasis patches. These acids are found in red meat, especially beef, and eggs.

Those who suffer from psoriasis may also want to check if they have a gluten allergy as this will trigger an autoimmune response that may worsen psoriasis symptoms.

People who are allergic to gluten should avoid grains, pasta, beer, certain processed foods and sauces, and baked goods that contain grains.

It is also said to be wise to generally avoid processed foods, canned fruits and vegetables, and foods high in sugar, salt or fat as they can cause chronic inflammation in the body.

Lastly, alcohol is thought to be a psoriasis trigger because of the way it negatively impacts the immune system. Thus, psoriasis patients are advised to avoid it or at least consume it very sparingly.

Originally posted here:
What is psoriasis and which foods ease symptoms? - Evening Standard

Chronic inflammatory diseases: what they are and what they lead to

Rheumatoid arthritis, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohns disease, psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis, result in daily management of painful or disabling symptoms, impair patients quality of life, are a risk factor for the development of comorbidities, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, and weigh on the lives of families, with major socioeconomic repercussions.

In recent years, attention to these diseases has increased, while Research has made enormous progress in understanding the mechanisms underlying acute and chronic inflammation and has led to the development of therapeutic options that can intervene in the inflammatory process.

The underlying mechanism of these diseases is inflammation, which must be evaluated by considering both the causes, including environmental ones, and the consequences on the whole organism, according to an integrated and multidisciplinary approach that privileges the continuity and interrelationships among different chronic inflammatory diseases.

Inflammation is a nonspecific innate defense mechanism, which is a protective response of the organism to the action of a damage operated by a foreign agent to eliminate the initial cause of cellular or tissue damage and the initiation of the reparative process inflammatory cells peculiar to innate immunity, such as macrophages, neutrophils begin to produce cytokines in response to a stimulus that can be infectious, chemical, non-infectious.

When acute inflammation does not resolve, chronic inflammation takes over, which consists of a long-lasting inflammatory process in which active inflammation, tissue destruction, and attempts at repair coexist.

Among the determinants of inflammation, attention has grown in recent years to the role played by the microbiota, the diverse set of microorganisms that live in symbiosis with us, in the gut but also in all surfaces exposed to the external environment.

A variation in the gut microbiota can result in inflammation that tends to spread from the gut to other organs.

A recent study carried out by Humanitas and published in the journal Science shows that in cases of ulcerative colitis, in order to prevent the spread of severe intestinal inflammation, the brain closes a kind of gate located in the choroid plexus, resulting in states of anxiety-like state and depression.

Effects often seen in patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

There are more than 250,000 people living with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases in Italy, of whom about 60 percent have ulcerative colitis and the remaining 40 percent have Crohns disease.

These diseases, which are rapidly increasing in countries with advanced economies, manifest themselves mainly with diarrhea, often accompanied by traces of blood, abdominal pain, vomiting, asthenia, fever, and are characterized by alternating periods of flare-ups and periods of remission.

Up to 40% of patients with Crohns disease may undergo bowel resection within 10 years, and up to 20% of patients with ulcerative colitis may undergo colectomy within 10 years.

In more than 40% of cases, chronic inflammatory bowel disease is accompanied by associated extraintestinal immune-mediated manifestations.

Up to 30% of patients may have arthritis, 10% immune-mediated skin manifestations, and 5-6% biliary tract and liver inflammation.

Therefore, a multidisciplinary approach cannot be disregarded, leading to better outcomes in the detection of any associated extraintestinal manifestations, but also in their management.

The goal of therapy remains prolonged remission over time, which means absence of symptoms, both those directly reported by the patient and in terms of the anatomy of the disease, i.e., restoration of the normal integrity of the intestinal mucosa, without diarrhea and without bleeding.

One of the tools increasingly considered to induce remission is surgery, which for some patients with MICI is the best option.

By now, surgery is no longer considered as the only option, the last resort after exhausting the available options, when the patient was completely defecated by disease symptoms and non-response and immunosuppressed by medical therapies, with inevitable bad results.

Today, thanks in part to the multidisciplinary approach to chronic inflammatory bowel disease, which brings together the expertise of gastroenterologists and surgeons, surgery, which is increasingly less invasive, is a weapon that can be used at any point in the treatment pathway, depending on the needs of the individual patient.

Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by its impact on quality of life: deformities and joint pain, if not adequately treated, can affect the patients ability to perform normal daily activities and limit work opportunities, even to the point of hindering the performance of household and family tasks.

The advent of new treatment options, however, has altered a course that until a few years ago seemed inescapable.

For patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis today, there is a lot of good news: the most important element is that today the patients pathway does not lead to the deformities that can be seen on the web, thanks to biologic drugs and small molecules that are able to stop inflammation and thus disease progression and have collapsed the curve of surgeries to resolve these deformities.

But there are other positive notes as well: diagnoses are much earlier, thanks to increased knowledge and new diagnostic technologies; cortisone is used much less than in the past, sparing patients the medium- and long-term side effects; and patients of childbearing age can now plan a successful pregnancy by agreeing on the timing and synchronizing therapies so that they are not harmful to the fetus.

Inflammatory mechanisms, along with triggers such as infections, stress, and alterations in the microbiota, are at the root of immune-mediated skin diseases such as psoriasis, which affects about 2 million people in Italy, and psoriatic arthritis.

Psoriasis is a systemic disease in which the inflammatory process affects not only the skin, but also other districts and organs.

Especially at a young age, this disease is associated with an increased risk of acute cardiovascular events, and in 20-30% of cases patients with psoriasis may develop psoriatic arthritis.

In addition, subclinical intestinal inflammation can be found in patients with psoriasis, especially in the moderate-severe form, and 3% of patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease also have psoriasis.

The link between intestinal and skin inflammatory processes is proven, and it is therefore essential that patients with immune-mediated diseases are evaluated from multiple perspectives and taken care of by a multidisciplinary team deputed to coordinate therapy and follow-up.

The professional medical figures who normally follow patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are the dermatologist and rheumatologist, but we also deal with the gastroenterologist, to significantly improve inflammation in the patient with Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis, thanks to combined therapies, which affect multiple areas by acting on a fundamental mechanism of pathogenic inflammation.

Emergency Live Even MoreLive: Download The New Free App Of Your Newspaper For IOS And Android

Crohns Disease: What It Is And How To Treat It

Psoriasis: What It Is And What To Do

Wales Bowel Surgery Death Rate Higher Than Expected

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): A Benign Condition To Keep Under Control

Colitis And Irritable Bowel Syndrome: What Is The Difference And How To Distinguish Between Them?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome: The Symptoms It Can Manifest Itself With

Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Symptoms And Treatment For Crohns Disease And Ulcerative Colitis

Crohns Disease Or Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

USA: FDA Approves Skyrizi To Treat Crohns Disease

Crohns Disease: What It Is, Triggers, Symptoms, Treatment And Diet

Gastrointestinal Bleeding: What It Is, How It Manifests Itself, How To Intervene

Faecal Calprotectin: Why This Test Is Performed And Which Values Are Normal

What Are Chronic Inflammatory Intestinal Diseases (IBD)?

Psoriasis, An Ageless Skin Disease

Psoriasis: It Gets Worse In Winter, But Its Not Just The Cold Thats To Blame

Childhood Psoriasis: What It Is, What The Symptoms Are And How To Treat It

Topical Treatments For Psoriasis: Recommended Over-The-Counter And Prescription Options

What Are The Different Types Of Psoriasis?

Phototherapy For The Treatment Of Psoriasis: What It Is And When It Is Needed

Humanitas

Link:
Chronic inflammatory diseases: what they are - Emergency Live International

In the latest in our new series on improving care for people with long-term health conditions, Dods Impact and AbbVie explore how the use of digital images for skin legions can deliver a step change in treatment for inflammatory skin conditions

Inflammatory skin conditions such as psoriasis or eczema can have a profound and debilitating impact on people of all ages. They are also a major issue for NHS capacity. Ask any practicing GP, and they will tell you that skin conditions account for up to a third of all appointments.

Living with an inflammatory skin condition can also have serious consequences for mental as well as physical health. In a recent survey by the APPG on Skin, 93% of respondents said that their skin condition impacted on their self-esteem, 5% reported that they had even contemplated suicide.

Chair of the APPG Sir Edward Leigh, who himself suffers from rosacea, is concerned that the pandemic has had a profound impact on those living with inflammatory skin conditions.

The waiting time for patients with long-term skin conditions to see a secondary care specialist has been growing for years, he tells us. This has only been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Dominic Urmston, from the Psoriasis Association shares Leighs concerns. He has heard from many patients who have had their treatments disrupted.

During the pandemic many people with inflammatory skin conditions saw face-to-face appointments either changed to remote consultations or cancelled altogether, he explains. This has led to an appointment backlog and increased waiting times for specialist care, with many people seeing their symptoms worsen in the meantime.

Urmstons experience has now been backed up by a recent report, commissioned and funded by biopharmaceutical company AbbVie and carried out by health research consultancy Carnell Farrar.

The report highlights the impact of the pandemic on the diagnosis and treatment of conditions like eczema and psoriasis. It reports that during the first year of the pandemic first outpatient attendances for dermatology plummeted by 28%, while elective hospital admissions for psoriasis alone fell by the same number.This is one of the largest falls seen within any patient group. As a result, while we know around 300,000 patients are currently on the routine waiting list, the overall backlog of patients could be much higher one hypothecated model by Carnall Farrar suggests over 900,000 patients were unaccounted for during the first 18 months of the pandemic and are potentially still in need of care.*

Appointment levels are now slowly recovering, Todd Manning, General Manager at AbbVie, but even if they reach pre-pandemic levels that alone will not come close to clearing the backlog created by the pandemic unless new ways can be found to increase capacity within the system to allow more patients to be seen when they need it. All sectors and organisations need to work collaboratively and creatively to find new ways to reach and care for those with inflammatory skin conditions.

There is however a strong foundation for developing new approaches. Dr Julia Schofield, Dermatology Clinical Lead for NHS England, told us that technology is already playing an important role in delivering better care to those with serious skin conditions.

The NHS is transforming dermatologyoutpatientservicestoensure that patientshavebetter access to specialistcare that works for them, she explains. Bymaking better use of technologysuch asdigital images, we are reducing the need for unnecessary face-to-face appointments,and are giving patients the freedom tobook outpatient appointments when they need them to ensure care is responsive to their individual condition.

The use of digital images for the assessment of people, particularly with skin lesions, is already making a difference. Dr Schofield explained that it is helping to reduce the number of people that need to attend hospitals and freeing up capacity for those people, usually with inflammatory skin diseases, that need to be seen face to face in dermatology clinics. As a result there are growing calls for a further acceleration in the rollout of these new approaches and other digitally enabled solutions that support out of hospital care and patient self-management to further reduce capacity pressures.

Bymaking better use of technologysuch asdigital images, we are reducing the need for unnecessary face-to-face appointments,and are giving patients the freedom tobook outpatient appointments when they need them to ensure care is responsive to their individual condition.

Some waiting times are now quoted in years, not months, Sir Edward Leigh tells us. New ways of working will have to be trialled and adopted to improve this intolerable situation.

Todd Manning also believes that the new ways of working that Schofield advocates should be must now be prioritised for adoption.

Covid saw a massive increase in telephone appointments, but for inflammatory skin diseases diagnosis over the telephone is highly challenging, he explains. The use of digital technology is about enabling how the whole system can work more efficiently. Effectivesharing of information, particularly between primary and secondary care providers is key. The Carnall Farrar research shows that better use of digital imagery to support the two week wait cancer referral process could save up to48,000 consultant hours that could be released to increase capacity for eczema and other dermatology cases, reducing anxiety for patients.

Delivering these benefits will require shifts in how Integrated Care Boards commission dermatology services, more support and education for frontline staff across a patients treatment journey to help them understand and deliver new care pathways, and investment in new technologies. This was a recommendation emerging from a recent parliamentary roundtable on the issue chaired by Sir Edward Leigh, alongside the need for more national leadership and accountability to help drive this change.

However, the prize on offer is substantial. The increased use of digital and remote care solutions could lead to speedier diagnoses, better patient outcomes, and more effective use of healthcare resources. Not only will this benefit the millions of people in Englandliving with inflammatory skin conditions, it will also benefit the NHS as a whole - a prize well worth securing.

How Teledermatology is Improving Cancer Care for Patients in Leeds

One of the ways that new technologies can help patients and speed up processes for GPs and consultants is by enabling diagnosis to take place quickly and without the need for an outpatient appointment.

In Leeds, a project has been looking at ways to deliver fastand accurate diagnoses around lesions that might indicate skin cancers. The scheme began when a consultant dermatologist realised that a third of all patients referred to consultants were ultimately discharged without any clinical intervention.

He realised that if new technology could be used to move these patients through the system more quickly that would reduce anxiety and save time and money for health providers.

Until the new system was put into place, each of these patients would have had to attend a face-to-face appointment. Not only did that lead to anxiety and concern, but it also created pressure on the secondary care system.

The solution that has been put in place to achieve this is a specialist magnifying device that is used with a smartphone. This system is now used by every GP practice in Leeds.

At the initial appointment GPs, with patient consent, take three pictures of any concerning skin lesion. These are then sent securely to the consultants at Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust. Within 48 hours those consultants report back, either confirming the lesion is benign or inviting the patient in for a face-to-face appointment.

The new system is faster, more efficient, and more effective than the traditional way of working. It has reduced anxiety for patients, relieved pressure on the 2 week wait pathway, and freed up the capacity of dermatology consultants.

This case study is not connected to AbbVie in any way

This article and the Carnall Farrar report has been commissioned and funded by AbbVie. This article is intended for the general public.Date of Preparation: September 2022 Job No: UK-ABBV-220308

*HES data Mar 19 Nov 21. Backlog calculated from accumulated month on month deficit in observed outpatient appointments compared to average month in year prior to COVID (Mar 19 Feb 20) assuming demographic growth of 3%. 90% of missed activity assumed to flow into backlog. No seasonality and no further disruption assumed

PoliticsHome Newsletters

Get the inside track on what MPs and Peers are talking about. Sign up to The House's morning email for the latest insight and reaction from Parliamentarians, policy-makers and organisations.

More:
How remote care can deliver a step change in treatment for inflammatory skin conditions - PoliticsHome