Psoriasis Suffering More Than Skin Deep

December 4th, 2009

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While many diseases can be described as invisible because it is not evident from appearance that a person has such a condition, not all such disorders make themselves a strictly personal matter. People with autoimmune diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Type 1 Diabetes or even Multiple Sclerosis cannot be easily identified in many public circumstances as their disease is at war with their inner body and few, if any, scars are visible outside. With other conditions, like skin diseases, however, anonymity is sometimes not an option.

In the case of skin disease, the visible evidence of the condition can be apparent to the casual observer. As humans, our highly visual brains are constantly taking in subtle information about the world around us including the appearance of people with whom we interact. As a result, sufferers of conditions like psoriasis are often forced to live with the evidence of their condition being in plain sight.

As a condition affecting anywhere from half a percent to 5% of the population depending on source of the statistics, psoriasis is one of the most common autoimmune diseases in the population. Having a genetic component, the most widespread form of the disease, called Plaque psoriasis, affects 80 to 90% of those with psoriasis and shows up as inflamed skin covered with shiny white scaly skin. It affects Caucasians roughly twice as frequently as African Americans and most people who develop the disease do so in the their 20s and 30s.

Although quality of life for those with the disease can be affected by both discomfort and pain from the sensitivity of the skin inflammation, it is also the appearance of the skin and scalp that can make life difficult for those with psoriasis when interacting with others in society. Even though 67% of cases can be considered as mild because they cover less than 3% of the skin, a diagnosis of mild psoriasis may say little to the difficulties that an individual will face depending on the placement of that 3% of affected skin and activity of the disease.

In a recent survey conducted across 17 countries by Abbott, a large health care and pharmaceutical company, 43% of those with very active forms of the disease indicated that psoriasis had prevented them from making new friends. In this same group, 25% also indicated that the disease had caused intimate relationships to end and 20% believed it had caused job loss.

In a different survey of psoriasis sufferers conducted by Leger Marketing in Canada, 60% of respondents indicated that the condition regularly caused problems with personal relationships and social interactions. Clearly the effects of the condition are damaging to emotional wellbeing as well as the skin. While chronic disease is known to raise the risks of depression in patients, problems with personal interactions are also well known causes of depression.

In academic studies, depression from psoriasis has been explicitly investigated. Research published from Tor Vergata University in 2006 found that more than 60% of those under 40 with the disease showed signs of depression. Other research from the University of Western Ontario and University of Toronto found that 6-7% of those with psoriasis had even experienced suicidal thoughts. As compared to others experiencing different medical problems, the researchers found the rate of suicidal thoughts in those with psoriasis was more than double what others experienced.

Such findings make it clear that the condition has a serious effect on the lives who struggle with it, making each day a potential challenge. As a result, it is important to understand in our children and family members the immediate struggles that they may face with the disease and the additional support that they may need. It’s also important to remember this in strangers who may face considerable isolation simply because their disease isn’t cooperating in staying invisible.

A future article will cover the additional problems that people with psoriasis face because of the immune disease itself.

Do you or a loved one struggle with psoriasis? Have you overcome the limitations that the disease tries to put on you? Share your stories in the psoriasis forums.

Related Links:

http://www.massgeneral.org/about/pressrelease.aspx?id=1097

http://www.psoriasis.org/netcommunity/sublearn01_statistics

http://www.psoriasisuncovered.co.uk/#ref

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2009/13/c5205.html

http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowAbstract&ArtikelNr=90652&Ausgabe=231609&ProduktNr=224164

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119103257/abstract

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