by Tanja Cilia

Created on: March 24, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

An over-simplified explanation of psoriasis is that it is principally a chronic skin disorder, almost unnoticeable in its early stages, with an itching and/or burning sensation as the disease progresses. Tiny red bumps then appear, erupting into angry pink to deep red plaques, resembling multi-layered scales, or even inflamed lesions. These are covered with silvery crusty patches.

While all races have the disease, Caucasians tend to have a slightly higher incidence of the condition than other racial groups and certain genes are proven to be linked to psoriasis. When one parent has psoriasis the chances that a child will have it too stands at around 10-15%. When parents do, the percentage rises to around 50-75%.
Plaques occur most often on the elbows, knees, other parts of the legs, scalp, lower back, face, palms, and soles of the feet, and the soft tissue of the genitals and inside the mouth, but they can occur on skin anywhere on the body.

The term comes from ancient Greek to itch'. The condition varies in intensity from a few random spots to a massive outbreak covering the entire body and requiring hospitalization. It has recently been classified as being an autoimmune disorder, where an abnormality in the functioning of key white cells in the blood stream triggers inflammation in the skin.
Psoriasis occurs when skin cells quickly rise from their origin below the surface of the skin and pile up on the surface before they have a chance to mature. Usually this turnover' takes about a month, but in psoriasis it occurs in as little as three days. Males and females are equally affected.
The severity of each case is categorized by the percent of the body involved with psoriasis.
Mild cases involve only a few lesions.
Moderate cases cover 3 to 10 percent of the body. (The palm of your hand represents 1 percent of the body's skin surface.)
Severe cases involve more than 10 percent of the skin surface, and, in rare cases, may include all of a person's skin.
Psoriasis reacts to external factors. Many parents are surprised when their pediatrician tells them that a respiratory tract infection (including strep throat') has triggered an attack of psoriasis. Other factors that set it off, or exacerbate a mild case into a severe attack, include stress, or even a tiny cut, whether or not it is infected, may exacerbate a very mild case to severity within days.
One should never treat a child for psoriasis without prior medical advice; however, before embarking upon an oral medication

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