If scientists can accurately understand the causes of psoriasis, it will be easier to find an effective psoriasis treatment. The question "why? " appears not only in the scientific community, but also in every patient who is forced to fight the disease. The theory of incentives began to appear hundreds of years ago. Today, we have dozens of guesses available, but all of them are still waiting for scientific proof. Even research on the possible causes of psoriasis will help many patients avoid the recurrence of the disease, and healthy people may not face the disease at all.
Genetic Theory
World Dermatology has successfully determined one of the causes of psoriasis-this is a genetic predisposition. Today, 60% of relatives of all psoriasis patients have the same problem. These conclusions prompted scientists to study the genetic origin theory of scaly lichens in more detail.
On April 5, 2013, the WHO Secretariat compiled research reports in this field. I managed to install the following:
- If one of the parents is sick, the child’s risk of illness is 14%;
- If both parents are affected by the family, this risk increases to 41%;
- If a sister or brother is sick -6%.
In this case, even after a few generations, psoriasis may appear, "bypassing" the previous generation.
For biochemists, an important task is to find the genes that cause this inheritance. Research on the patient's genome has identified nine gene loci that may be related to psoriasis. However, the exact single gene responsible for the inheritance of the disease has not yet been determined.
As we all know, scaly lichen itself is not hereditary, but its susceptibility. This means that people with relatives experiencing similar problems do not necessarily have psoriasis. Therefore, it cannot be regarded as just a genetic disease. In order for psoriasis to manifest itself, other pathogens will be needed, which can also be considered the cause.
In addition, the remaining 40% of patients still have problems-if no one in the family has a similar problem, why do they get sick? The mission forced scientists to further search for the cause of scaly lichens.
Infections and viruses are pathogens
The infection theory of this disease is one of the earliest theories, and research began about two centuries ago. Scientists in the 19th century were convinced of the shortcomings of pathological microorganisms and worked hard to determine which of them were related to the disease. This explanation seems to be the most obvious, because psoriasis in patients will suddenly appear and will suddenly resolve. Today, there are already supporters of this idea among scientists.
The proponents of the infection theory believe that pathogens will send impulses to the flora and endocrine system, thereby affecting its function. This change destroys the human body's normal ability to respond to environmental influences and adapt to the environment. As a result, if we add another stimulating factor, the skin cells will not die within 30 days (this is natural), but within 4-5 days, which is why a group of keratinocytes appear in the hand, Head, face, and the rest of the body. inflammation.
For many years, doctors have been studying fungi and bacteria, trying to find the relationship between them and the root cause of the disease. However, none of the pathological organisms known in medicine can become the "triggering mechanism" of this skin disease. Today, the infectious theory of the appearance of scaly lichens is not considered the main theory, but it has not been completely rejected. There are still some links between psoriasis onset and infection.
It has been determined that angina pectoris, acute respiratory viral infections, streptococcus, tonsillitis and other infections usually accompany the first outbreak of squamous lichens, which can cause relapse in the remission stage. But most doctors tend to believe that infections will only trigger pre-existing diseases.
The theory of the viral nature of this disease is also one of the earliest theories. However, this hypothesis has completely collapsed since the medical discovery that psoriasis did not spread from person to person. However, some viruses will remain in the human body for many years and reduce immunity. If the skin's immune system is damaged, it can cause psoriasis. In fact, even if a healthy body is not infected with lichen scales, there are cases of blood transfusion from a sick person to a healthy person.
Metabolism Impaired Theory
One of the characteristics that doctors notice during psoriasis is that the patient's body temperature is hypothermia. At first, this was considered one of the symptoms of the disease, but as time passed, doctors gave different meanings to this phenomenon. The fact is that a continuous drop in temperature indicates that the metabolism is blocked.
Blood tests of patients have confirmed that patients with psoriasis have excessive cholesterol levels, whether adults or children.
These indicators indicate that lipid metabolism in the body is violated. In turn, this leads to rapid keratinization of skin cells, which is why some scientists believe that psoriasis is a quality of cholesterol. However, it is still unclear whether cholesterol surged before or after the first outbreak.
In addition to the cholesterol in the patient's body, the balance of minerals and vitamins is also disturbed, and this change can also lead to serious consequences. It has been determined that patients with squamous lichens have an excess of vitamin C and insufficient vitamin B6, B12, and A. Also noticed that their content is corrupted:
- zinc;
- iron;
- copper;
- Cobalt.
Changes in the mineral complex will greatly reduce the body's adaptive and protective functions. In other words, scientists believe that metabolic disorders can create an ideal platform for the disease: weaken the immune system, shorten the lifespan of skin cells, etc. In the presence of irritating factors (triggers), the disease progresses and the first symptoms appear. What factors will affect this, we will consider below. This change not only causes inflammation of the body, but also psoriasis of the nails.
Such violations in useful ingredients have been confirmed by the laboratory. Therefore, when treating psoriasis, it is dangerous for patients to even take vitamins themselves. In complex treatments, since the carbohydrate metabolism of the patient will also be impaired, it is necessary to use diet, usually starvation and low-calorie nutrition. The positive development of these activities partly supports the theory of impaired metabolism.
But most doctors believe that this change is the consequence, not the cause of the disease. This suspicion is based on the fact that metabolic disorders will slowly lead to other symptoms at first, while psoriasis will show up on the skin immediately in most cases.
Hormone destruction in pathogenesis
Patient statistics show that women are more likely to develop psoriasis than men. Moreover, in weaker sexes with this problem, the onset of psoriasis symptoms is mainly seen during ovulation and menstruation. This characteristic in the "behavior" of this disease prompted scientists to think about the hormonal factors in the development of this disease.
Indeed, when the hormonal background is disturbed, patients often relapse: during pregnancy, menopause, taking hormonal drugs, etc. This hypothesis is supported by general statistics on the initial manifestations of the disease. In women, the first symptoms occur at 15 years of age, and in men, it is a little later at -20-25 years. This is because the hormonal balance in stronger sex will occur later.
However, this theory was also opposed by opponents in front of scientists. Today, skin disease outbreaks caused by changes in hormonal background have not aroused doctors’ suspicion, but this is considered to be the root cause of the disease. The hypothesis that hormones can cause psoriasis in healthy people is ruled out, because the initial symptoms and recurrence of the disease occur in the context of hormonal "sedation".
Psychotherapy of this disease
A study by the World Health Organization in the field of psoriasis shows that 2% of the population on the planet faces this disease. At the same time, the proportion of patients in developed countries and large cities is much higher than in peripheral countries or underdeveloped countries-an average of 4. 6%. Started to study an unusual trend, hoping to find the cause of psoriasis. The research and conclusion of scientists on this phenomenon is that psoriasis may be caused by psychological reasons.
The skin is designed to reflect the overall condition of the body, and all changes in the "health state" (including mental instability) are "shielded" on the skin. Some doctors tend to think of psoriasis plaques as a way for the body to declare problems on a neural basis. As a result, the statistics have fluctuated: in big cities, life has become more impetuous, accompanied by a lot of pressure, while life in small towns is more measurable.
Psychologists who are also involved in the treatment of patients are more susceptible to this theory. It is believed that mental disorders not only affect morality, but also affect the organic parts of the body. Therefore, various changes in the nervous system can cause indigestion, skin rash, difficulty breathing and changes in heart rate.
These diseases include:
- Desire suppression. For example, "I want to live with another person/work in another job/beat my boss/move. "Suppressing this desire leads to the fact that adrenaline is deposited in the body and gradually destroys the organs and their functions.
- Stress, neurosis, depression. Such changes may cause the same metabolic disorders, hormonal disorders, etc.
- Inner feeling, not fulfilling his duties.
- Self-doubt.
- Dissatisfied with my body.
- Constantly feeling fear, anger, or other strong emotions.
Tranquilizers and psychological training therapy can bring obvious positive effects to patients, which is conducive to the psychosomatic characteristics of psoriasis. The psychologist explained that even the baby has questions (where do they get psoriasis? ). As we all know, newborns can feel and respond to the mother's state and happiness. Therefore, in the case of problems with the mother, the baby may undergo various changes until it becomes sick.
The level of child care is also regarded as a factor in the formation of scaly lichens in children. For example, in the absence of maternal love, children will experience the same strong emotions (pain, fear, resentment) as adults. The body in turn tries to report the malfunction, and pimples and plaques appear on the skin.
Excessive parental care may also cause this consequence, but this situation mainly occurs in families with children over 4 years old. The formed personality tries to gain more freedom, on the contrary, the parents try to bind their children to themselves. The resulting conflict affects the child's sensitive body in the form of an inflamed rash.
Today, this theory about the cause of psoriasis is considered one of the main theories together with immunology. Scaly lichen therapy fascinatingly includes self-improvement, elimination of negative thoughts and stress, and rest. For treatment, they even gave meditation and yoga classes, travel, hobbies, which are no less helpful to patients than drugs. However, the course and development of this disease show that psychological factors are far from the only factors.
Hypothesis of impaired immunity
Research in the field of genetic theory of the origin of psoriasis has shown that all patients have impaired cellular immunity. This function is also inherited, but it may also appear due to genetic mutations. Scientists suggest that congenital or acquired conditions can easily make damaged skin suffer autoimmune attacks. That is, the body perceives the affected skin cells as hostile and attacks them.This hypothesis is supported by patient blood tests and plaque scale studies. It turns out that antigen complexes do exist in keratinocytes, and antibodies against these complexes are found in the blood. In healthy people, this is not observed either in the blood or in the dermis.
Such analysis shows that immune diseases play an important role in the formation of the first foci of psoriasis. Taking into account this fact, in complex drug treatments, antihistamines can be used to reduce the damage of immunity to its own cells. However, there are still many factors that influence the course of the disease and its recurrence, even though it has nothing to do with immunology. Therefore, none of the theories considered is unanimously accepted.
Preventable causes of recurrence
The search for the root cause of the disease has led to the emergence of a large number of theories and hypotheses, which are waiting for their scientific proof. Although we cannot find a single cause, we have a large number of factors that cause relapse.
The first of these factors is stress. The negative movement of the nervous system becomes the trigger for the onset of the disease and arouses the existing outbreak of psoriasis. Considering this fact, doctors advise their patients to avoid stressful situations as much as possible.
Show patients an active lifestyle, exercise and travel.
In approximately 14% of patients, scaly lichen starts at the place of trauma and skin damage, which can happen if a person already has a susceptibility to psoriasis. Scratches, bites or rashes may be the site of pimples and plaques. Patients should carefully monitor the condition and cleanliness of the dermis, treat the wound area with hydrogen peroxide, and apply a bandage or plaster.
It is also recommended to regularly use moisturizers for body and scalp care, because dry skin is more likely to recur. It is necessary to give up scrubs and peeling, hard towels, so as not to damage the skin again. You need to use hypoallergenic creams, baby ointments or oils to moisturize your body. At the first signs of a rash, you should not rely on comments and photos on the Internet to independently "establish" a diagnosis. This will only take up precious time, it is best to consult an expert.
Taking medications (pills and ointments) should be monitored by a doctor, mainly involving antibiotics and immunomodulators. Even other vitamins can cause disease progression, especially vitamins C, A, and B. If you have an infection or fungus, you must consult a doctor instead of treating it yourself. It is important not to bring viral diseases into chronic diseases and not to delay medical treatment.
Proper nutrition is essential. The patient is prescribed a diet that can strengthen the body and reduce the risk of recurrence. For each patient, this is an independent nutritional system based on the stage of the disease, the level of immunity and the presence of the accompanying disease. It is important not to violate the prescribed dietary rules and avoid using junk foods, allergic foods (honey, nuts, chocolate, citrus fruits, red foods, etc. ).
Therefore, patients must maintain a completely healthy lifestyle: exercise, monitor nutrition and strengthen moral health. This also includes having to refuse to drink, because even small doses can cause an outbreak of the disease. These principles can not only prevent psoriasis, but also many other diseases.