Pie chart showing the distribution of severity among people with psoriasis.

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Psoriasis (IPA pronunciation: ) is an immune-mediated disease which affects the skin and joints. It commonly causes red scaly patches to appear on the skin. more...

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The scaly patches caused by psoriasis are often called psoriasis plaques or lesions. Psoriasis plaques are areas of excessive skin cell production and inflammation. Skin rapidly accumulates at these sites and sometimes takes a silvery-white appearance. Plaques frequently occur on the skin of the elbows and knees, but can affect any area including the scalp and genitals. Psoriasis is not contagious; it cannot be passed from person to person.

The disorder is a chronic or recurring condition which can vary in severity, from minor localised patches to complete body coverage. Fingernails and toenails are frequently affected (psoriatic nail dystrophy). Psoriasis can also cause inflammation of the joints. This is known as psoriatic arthritis. Ten to fifteen percent of people with psoriasis have psoriatic arthritis.

Several factors are thought to aggravate psoriasis. These include stress and excessive alcohol consumption. Individuals with psoriasis may also suffer from depression and loss of self-esteem. As such, quality of life is an important factor in evaluating the severity of the disease. There are many treatments available but because of its chronic recurrent nature psoriasis is a challenge to treat.

History

Psoriasis is probably one of the longest known illnesses of humans and simultaneously one of the most misjudged and misunderstood. Some scholars believe psoriasis to have been included among the skin conditions called tzaraat in the Bible. Tzaraat was a punishment for sin whose cure could only be found in repentance and forgiveness. In more recent times psoriasis was frequently described as a variety of leprosy. It became known as Willan's lepra in the late 18th century when English dermatologists Robert Willan and Thomas Bateman differentiated it from other skin diseases and provided the first rational nomenclature based on the appearance of lesions. Willan identified two categories: leprosa graecorum and psora leprosa.

While it may have been visually, and later semantically, confused with leprosy it was not until 1841 that the condition was finally given the name psoriasis by the Viennese dermatologist Ferdinand von Hebra. The name is derived from the Greek word psora which means to itch.

It was during the 20th century that psoriasis was further differentiated into specific types.

Types of psoriasis

The symptoms of psoriasis can manifest in a variety of forms. Variants include plaque, pustular, guttate and flexural psoriasis. This section describes each type (with ICD-10 code ).