February 19, 2009
What do we know now about psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a chronic condition that is caused by a deregulation of the immune system. It affects the skin and joints of approximately 1-3% of people, worldwide.
Of these individuals about 30% suffer with a severe form of the condition. It’s impact on the quality of life includes both physical and psychological suffering. Many compare its devastating impact, on normal living, to heart disease, cancer and severe arthritis.
Those with moderate to severe disease find it difficult to obtain satisfactory results with conventional medical treatment. Most of these treatments themselves are toxic and require a significant amount of time and medication of lifestyle.
The T-cell branch of the immune system malfunctions in people with this skin condition. In the past, psoriasis was thought to be the result of abnormal skin growth.
In the past two decades a number of scientific developments in treatment and understanding of the disease process itself have contributed to our over all understanding of psoriasis.
A more advanced understanding of the immune system, specifically T-cell regulation of the body’s immune system has resulted in more advanced treatments for psoriasis.
Several biologics are proteins engineered by via recombinant biotechnology to imitate or inhibit the function of naturally occurring proteins, involved in the generation of psoriasis. Most importantly, many of these biologics have proven to be a convenient, safe, and effective alternative to conventional treatments.
Ongoing medical research on the biological mechanism involved at the molecular (protein, DNA, RNA) levels will lead to an even larger number of treatment options, in the coming future. The possibility for better targeted treatments, less toxic treatments for psoriasis is now a possibility.
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What is psoriasis? | skinrashsolutions.com @ 3:49 am
[...] studies indicate that deregulation of the body’s immune system results in [...]