Finding an effective cure for psoriasis would be much easier for scientists if they could understand the exact reasons for its appearance. The question “why? ” Arises not only in the lamps of science, but also in every patient who is forced to fight this disease. Incentive theories began to emerge hundreds of years ago. We have dozens of guesses available today, but all of them are still awaiting scientific proof. Studying even the possible causes of psoriasis will help many patients avoid relapse of the disease, and healthy people may not face it at all.
Hereditary theory
World dermatology has certainly been able to determine one of the reasons for the appearance of psoriasis - it is a genetic predisposition. Today, 60% of all patients with psoriasis have relatives with the same problem. Such conclusions have prompted scientists to study the theory of the hereditary origin of scaly lichen in more detail.
On April 5, 2013, the WHO Secretariat compiled a research report in this area. I was able to install the following:
- if one of the parents is ill in the family, the child's risk of the disease is 14%;
- if both parents are affected in the family, this risk increases to 41%;
- if sister or brother is ill - 6%.
In this case, psoriasis can appear after several generations, "bypassing" the previous ones.
An important task of biochemists was to discover which gene is responsible for such inheritance. The study of the patient's genome identified nine gene loci that may be associated with psoriasis. However, the exact single gene responsible for the heredity of the disease has not been identified.
It is only known that scaly lichen itself is not inherited, but only its predisposition. This means that a person whose relatives have encountered a similar problem will not necessarily suffer from psoriasis. Therefore, it cannot be considered exclusively an inherited disease. In order for psoriasis to manifest, it will need additional pathogens, which can also be considered its causes.
In addition, the question remains about the remaining 40% of patients - why did they get sick if no one in their family suffered from a similar problem? This task forces scientists to further look for the causes of scaly lichen.
Infections and viruses as pathogens
Infectious disease theory was one of the first to be explored about two centuries ago. 19th century scientists were convinced of the guilt of pathological microorganisms and diligently tried to determine which of them were responsible for this disease. This explanation seemed most obvious, because psoriasis in patients can appear suddenly and also abruptly enter remission. Even today, there are supporters of this idea among scientists.
Proponents of the infectious theory believe that pathogens send an impulse to the autonomic department and the endocrine system, affecting their functions. Such changes impair the body’s normal ability to respond to and adapt to environmental influences. As a result, if we add another provoking factor, skin cells die not in 30 days (which is natural for them), but in 4-5 days, which is why a group of keratinized cells appears on the hands, head, face or the rest of the body. inflammation.
For many years, doctors have been researching fungi and bacteria, trying to find a link between them and the underlying cause of the disease. But among the pathological organisms that medicine knows, there is no one who could become the "initiator" of this dermatosis. Today, the contagious theory of the appearance of scaly lichen is not considered the main one, but it has not been completely rejected. There is still a definite link between psoriasis attacks and infections.
It has been determined that angina, acute respiratory viral infections, streptococci, tonsillitis and other infections often accompany the first outbreaks of scaly lichen, and in the remission phase it causes relapse. But most doctors believe that infections only provoke the manifestation of an existing disease.
The theory of the viral nature of the disease was also one of the first to emerge. However, this assumption has completely collapsed since the time when medicine discovered that psoriasis did not spread from person to person. However, there are viruses that last for years in the body, reduce immunity and can cause psoriasis if the skin's immune system is damaged. In practice, there are cases of blood transfusion from a sick to a healthy person, although a healthy body is not infected with scaly lichen.
Theory of impaired metabolism
One of the characteristics that doctors noticed during psoriasis was low temperature in patients. Initially, this was considered one of the symptoms of the disease, but over time, doctors gave this phenomenon a different meaning. The fact is that the constant drop in temperature indicates a disturbed metabolism.
Blood tests of patients confirmed that patients with psoriasis have too much cholesterol, both in adults and children.
Such indicators indicate a violation of lipid metabolism in the body. This in turn leads to rapid keratinization of skin cells, which is why some scientists consider psoriasis to be a diathesis of cholesterol. However, it is still not possible to determine whether cholesterol is rising before or after the first outbreak.
In addition to cholesterol in the patient's body, the balance of minerals and vitamins is disturbed, and such changes lead to serious consequences. Vitamin C has been found to be excess in patients with scaly lichen, and vitamins B6, B12, A to be insufficient. We also noticed that they have incorrect content:
- zinc;
- iron;
- copper;
- cobalt.
Changes in the mineral complex significantly reduce the adaptive and protective functions of the body. That is, scientists believe that metabolic disorders can create an ideal platform for disease: weaken the immune system, shorten the life of skin cells, and so on. In the presence of an irritating factor (trigger), the disease progresses and the first symptoms appear. What factors may influence this, we will also consider a little below. Such shifts cause not only inflammation on the body, but also psoriasis of the nails.
Such violations of the balance of useful components have been laboratory confirmed. It is therefore dangerous for a patient to take even vitamins on their own when treating psoriasis. In complex therapy, diet, frequent starvation and low-calorie diet are necessarily used, because carbohydrate metabolism in patients is also disturbed. Positive developments from such activities partially support the theory of impaired metabolism.
But most doctors believe that such shifts are a consequence, not a cause of the disease. Such suspicions are based on the fact that metabolic disorders would initially slowly lead to other symptoms, and psoriasis in most cases manifests immediately on the skin.
Hormonal disorder in pathogenesis
Patient statistics show that women are slightly more likely to suffer from psoriasis than men. Moreover, in the weaker sex with such a problem, the outbreak of psoriasis symptoms is seen mainly during the period of ovulation and menstruation. Such traits in the "behavior" of the disease have prompted scientists to think about the hormonal factor in the development of the disease.
In fact, in case of failure in the hormonal background, patients often have relapses: during pregnancy, menopause, taking hormonal medications, etc. This hypothesis is supported by general statistics on the first manifestations of the disease. In women, the initial symptoms appear at the age of 15, in men a little later - up to 20-25 years. This is due to the fact that hormonal balance occurs later in the stronger sex.
But this theory also met opponents in the face of scientists. The fact that shifts in the hormonal background today cause the outbreak of dermatosis does not cause suspicion in doctors, however, it is considered the main cause of the disease. The hypothesis that hormones can cause psoriasis in a healthy person has been rejected, since the first symptoms and relapses of the disease appear in the background of hormonal "calmness".
Psychosomatics of Disease
A World Health Organization study in the field of psoriasis found that 2% of the total population of the planet faces this disease. At the same time, the share of patients in developed countries and megalopolises is much higher than in the periphery or underdeveloped countries - on average it is 4, 6%. They began to study the unusual trend, hoping to find the cause of psoriasis. The research and conclusion of the scientists regarding this phenomenon was that psoriasis can be caused by psychological causes.
The skin is designed to reflect the general condition of the body, it "examines" all changes in health, including psychological instability. Some doctors tend to believe that psoriatic plaques are the body’s way of nervously announcing a problem. Hence the fluctuations in statistics: in mega cities, life is abrupt, associated with a lot of stress, as opposed to more measured life in a small town.
Psychologists who are also involved in treating patients are more susceptible to this theory. It is believed that mental disorders can affect not only the moral but also the organic component, ie the body. Thus, various changes in the nervous system can cause indigestion, skin rash, breathing problems, changes in heart rate.
These disorders include:
- Suppression of desires. For example, "I want to live with another person / work another job / hit the boss / move. "Suppression of such desires leads to the adrenaline settling in the body and gradually destroying the organs and their functions.
- Stress, neurosis, depression. Such changes can become the causes of the same metabolic disorders, hormonal disorders, etc.
- Guilt, unfulfilled duty.
- Self-doubt.
- Dissatisfaction with one's own body.
- Constant feeling of fear, anger or other strong emotions.
Sedative treatment and psychological training give noticeable positive results in patients, which supports the psychosomatic nature of psoriasis. Even suspicions about babies (whence then psoriasis? ) Are explained by psychologists. Newborns are known to be able to feel and respond to the condition and well-being of the mother. So, in case of problems with the mother, the baby can experience various changes, all the way to pathologies.
Childcare is also considered a factor in the development of scaly lichen in children. For example, in the absence of the mother's affection, the child experiences the same strong emotions as the adult (pain, fear, resentment). The body in turn tries to report defects, and papules and deposits appear on the skin.
Excessive parental care can also lead to such consequences, but this case mainly occurs in families with children from 4 years of age. The formed personality tries to get more freedom, and the parent, on the contrary, tries to tie the child to himself. The resulting conflict affects the child’s sensitive body in the form of an inflamed rash.
Today, this theory of the causes of psoriasis is considered one of the main ones, along with the immune one. Scalp lichen therapy charmingly involves self-improvement, removal of negative thoughts and stress, and a state of rest. For treatment, they even prescribe meditation and yoga classes, travel, hobbies, which help the patient no worse than medication. However, the course and development of the disease suggest that the psychological factor is far from the only one.
Hypothesis in case of impaired immunity
Research in the field of genetic theory of the origin of psoriasis has revealed that all patients have impaired cellular immunity. This feature is also inherited, but can also arise as a result of gene mutations. Scientists have suggested that with a congenital or acquired predisposition, damaged skin may be exposed to autoimmune aggression. That is, the body perceives the affected skin cells as hostile and attacks them.
This assumption was supported by patients' blood tests and the study of plaque scales. It turned out that antigenic complexes do exist in keratinized cells, and antibodies to these complexes were found in the blood. In healthy people, this is not observed in the blood or in the dermis.
Such analyzes suggest that immune disorders play an important role in creating the first foci of psoriasis. In complex drug treatment, taking into account this fact, antihistamines are used to reduce the aggression of the immune system towards its own cells. However, there are still a number of factors that influence the course of the disease and its relapse, although they are not related to immunology, therefore, of all the theories considered, none has been unanimously accepted.
Causes of preventable recurrence
The search for the root cause of the disease has led to the emergence of a mass of theories and hypotheses waiting to be scientifically justified. Despite the fact that we have not been able to find any cause, we have a wide list of factors that cause relapse.
The first of these factors is stress, negative shifts in the nervous system become the trigger at the onset of the disease and cause an outbreak of existing psoriasis. Given this fact, doctors recommend their patients to avoid stressful situations whenever possible.
Patients are shown an active lifestyle, sports, travel.
In about 14% of patients, scaly lichens begin at the sites of trauma and skin damage, this is possible if the person already has a predisposition to psoriasis. Scratches, scratched bites or rashes can be the site of papules and plaque. Patients should carefully monitor the condition and cleanliness of the dermis, treat the wound site with hydrogen peroxide, and apply a bandage or patch.
Regular use of moisturizing creams for body and scalp care is also recommended, as dry skin is more likely to recur. It is necessary to leave peels and scrubs, hard cloths, so as not to injure the skin again. You need to moisturize the body with hypoallergenic creams, baby ointments or oils. At the first signs of a rash, you should not rely on reviews and photos on the Internet to "establish" a diagnosis on your own. It will only take your precious time, it is better to consult an expert.
The physician should monitor the intake of medications (both tablets and medicated ointments), primarily with respect to antibiotics and immunomodulators. Even extra vitamins can cause disease progression, especially vitamins C, A, B. If you are infected with infections or fungi, be sure to see a doctor and do not self-medicate. It is important not to bring viral diseases into chronic forms and not to delay going to the doctor.
Proper nutrition is crucial. Patients are prescribed a diet that will strengthen the body and reduce the risk of recurrence. For each patient, this is an individual food system based on the stage of the disease, the level of immunity and the presence of concomitant diseases. It is important not to violate the rules of the prescribed diet, avoid unhealthy foods, allergenic foods (honey, nuts, chocolate, citrus fruits, red foods, etc. ).
Thus, the patient must maintain a completely healthy lifestyle: exercise the body, monitor the diet and strengthen moral health. This also includes mandatory alcohol rejection, as even small doses cause disease outbreaks. Such principles will serve to prevent not only psoriasis, but also many other diseases.