A skin condition in which the skin cell grows very quickly because of flawed signals in the body's immune system is a disease called psoriasis. In this situation, the cells pile up on the skin surface because the excess skin cells are not shed, and can cause painful lesions. This is a highly common immune mediated disease that affects people in many countries worldwide. In the United States alone, it is estimated that more than seven million people are affected and new cases are diagnosed every year.
This disease can only occur to a person when his immune system seems to send the wrong signals and this triggers a reaction in the skin cells believing that pathogens and other unwanted invaders are present. The immune system attacks normal cells, believing that these cells contain some type of harmful bacteria or perhaps a virus, when there is actually nothing wrong. The result is then over production of skin cells happening in the elbows and knees and even observed to happen in the feet as well as the scalp. The T cells in our body are the white blood cell that fights the infections and disease, and these are the cells that are not working properly and cause psoriasis to occur.
There are two types of psoriasis, pustular and nonpustular psoriasis. Pustular psoriasis or GPP (generalized pustular psoriasis) covers the entire body of the person and this is the rare type of psoriasis. When a person has this rare type of disease of the skin, pus-filled blisters can form on the skin instead of plaques. This can happen at any age but is rarely seen in children. The nonpustular psoriasis does not cover the whole person's body, and this is the more common type.
Psoriasis is unpredictable and can happen any time; with flare ups on the skin observed and it is an incurable, chronic disease. Severe itching and heavy pain can be observed when flare ups occur. A cause of irritation can be cracking and bleeding happening on the skin. There are also drugs that can cause the disease or help aggravate it, and this is called drug-induced psoriasis. Helping in the treatment and management of the disease can be done by understanding on the patho-physiology of the drugs. The severe psoriasis with blisters or the plaque type of psoriasis can be this drug induced psoriasis type.
Lesions seen can vary in appearance and this depends on the type of psoriasis that is occurring. General symptoms observed are patches of scaly skin building up usually in scalp, feet, elbows and knees; this is what is known as plaque. Plaque buildup can occur in any part of the skin, not just the aforementioned areas, as well as affecting the color and strength of fingernails and toenails.
There is no complete cure of the disease but there are treatments that can help. Visiting the dermatologists can be of help before the disease can progress. Topical treatments can be prescribed and phototherapy is sometimes also used. Efalizumab, a type of drug made from recombinant humanized monoclonal antibodies is also used as treatment. This type of drug works by suppressing the immune response that is incorrectly happening. Custom monoclonal antibody services provided by biotechnology firms have been instrumental in creating drugs to fight this painful disease.
This disease can only occur to a person when his immune system seems to send the wrong signals and this triggers a reaction in the skin cells believing that pathogens and other unwanted invaders are present. The immune system attacks normal cells, believing that these cells contain some type of harmful bacteria or perhaps a virus, when there is actually nothing wrong. The result is then over production of skin cells happening in the elbows and knees and even observed to happen in the feet as well as the scalp. The T cells in our body are the white blood cell that fights the infections and disease, and these are the cells that are not working properly and cause psoriasis to occur.
There are two types of psoriasis, pustular and nonpustular psoriasis. Pustular psoriasis or GPP (generalized pustular psoriasis) covers the entire body of the person and this is the rare type of psoriasis. When a person has this rare type of disease of the skin, pus-filled blisters can form on the skin instead of plaques. This can happen at any age but is rarely seen in children. The nonpustular psoriasis does not cover the whole person's body, and this is the more common type.
Psoriasis is unpredictable and can happen any time; with flare ups on the skin observed and it is an incurable, chronic disease. Severe itching and heavy pain can be observed when flare ups occur. A cause of irritation can be cracking and bleeding happening on the skin. There are also drugs that can cause the disease or help aggravate it, and this is called drug-induced psoriasis. Helping in the treatment and management of the disease can be done by understanding on the patho-physiology of the drugs. The severe psoriasis with blisters or the plaque type of psoriasis can be this drug induced psoriasis type.
Lesions seen can vary in appearance and this depends on the type of psoriasis that is occurring. General symptoms observed are patches of scaly skin building up usually in scalp, feet, elbows and knees; this is what is known as plaque. Plaque buildup can occur in any part of the skin, not just the aforementioned areas, as well as affecting the color and strength of fingernails and toenails.
There is no complete cure of the disease but there are treatments that can help. Visiting the dermatologists can be of help before the disease can progress. Topical treatments can be prescribed and phototherapy is sometimes also used. Efalizumab, a type of drug made from recombinant humanized monoclonal antibodies is also used as treatment. This type of drug works by suppressing the immune response that is incorrectly happening. Custom monoclonal antibody services provided by biotechnology firms have been instrumental in creating drugs to fight this painful disease.
About the Author:
Armand Zeiders loves blogging about biomedical research. For additional info regarding custom monoclonal antibody production, please check out the PrimmBiotech.com site today.
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