Today is National Psoriasis Day – Don’t let the condition ruin your life!

A quarter of people in the UK suffering with the inflammatory skin condition psoriasis claim their relationship has ended because of the symptoms they were afflicted with.

New research shows that four in 10 people with psoriasis say they have been dumped after their partner found them unattractive. Furthermore, 16% of those with the skin problem have cancelled a date because of it and 15% refuse to go on holiday due to worries about having to show off skin.

The findings were part of a report published ahead of today’s National Psoriasis Day – a global event that aims to give an international voice to the 125 million people around the world who suffer with psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis. The day will also hopefully raise awareness of the psychological impact that living with the condition can have and letting those affected discuss the day-to-day impact of managing the chronic inflammatory condition.

The new research shows to some extent how some of the 1.8 million sufferers in the UK try and deal with a condition that has been nicknamed eczema’s ‘cousin’.

One in six sufferers say that their psoriasis has hindered their progress at work, whilst four in 10 psoriasis patients claimed others have had a repulsed look at them and over of half of sufferers have co-workers who behave differently around them.

Of the 125 million around the world effected by psoriasis, there are some celebrities in this total. Reality show star Kim Kardashian and supermodel Cara Delivingne, who have both previously spoken of their battles against the condition, explaining how it has impacted their careers.

Delevingne has even deliberated walking away from the catwalk if her psoriasis becomes too problematic.

When interviewed by W Magazine, she commented: “It only happened during the Fashion Weeks, which are, of course, the worst time of year for me to be covered in scabs. Psoriasis is an auto-immune disease, and I’m sensitive.”

Kardashian has also stress her fears for her career, saying: “My career is doing ad campaigns and swimsuit photo shoots. People don’t understand the pressure on me to look perfect.”

It can be underestimated the psychical and mental impact that the skin condition can have for those who have it, and Medical Specialists Pharmacy is fully supportive of awareness campaigns that will promote more knowledge, understanding, and empathy towards ‘lesser known’ ailments.

Psoriasis is a chronic, recurring skin disease that unfortunately is often a life-long problem, and an estimated 2% of the population in the UK. It causes red, flaky, patchy and scaly skin that is usually on the scalp, lower back, elbows and knees, but can appear  anywhere on the  body.

After developing psoriasis, those who have it find that it tends to come and go throughout their life and flare-ups can occur quite randomly. Most people are usually only affected in small patches, but these patches may be itchy and sore.

Psoriasis occurs when skin cells are replaced faster than at a normal speed. As yet, health experts have not yet fully established why this can happen to some people. However, it is generally believed there are probably a mixture of reasons that cause it, such as genetic predisposition and environmental factors.

For instance, approximately one in three people with psoriasis also has a close relative who has the condition. A lot of people with psoriasis will see their symptoms begin or become worse due to ‘triggers’, including: smoking, alcohol, stress, a skin-related injury such as a cut, scrape, insect bite or sunburn (known as the Koebner response) and certain medications.

T/Gel is recommended by dermatologists for chronic scalp psoriasis treatment, seborrhoeic dermatitis and even common dandruff. Clinical tests have shown the active ingredients in T/Gel carry on working for hours after the shampoo has been rinsed off, and also works to leave hair looking healthy and manageable.

Autoimmune diseases linked to a diet high in salt

Scientists claim that the typical modern day diet that is high in salt could be a key factor behind recent increases in the cases of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, alopecia, asthma and eczema.

An autoimmune disease occurs after the immune system attacks healthy body cells instead of fighting off disease and infection as it should be doing. An autoimmune disease can drastically vary in the severity of symptoms – sometimes flaring up and other times they can go into remission and disappear for some time.

Initial symptoms are usually fatigue, muscle aches and a low fever. A usual indicator of an autoimmune disease is inflammation, resulting in redness, heat, pain and swelling. The treatment for an autoimmune disease will depend on the specific disease but usually the main aim is to reduce inflammation.

A common autoimmune disease is the neurological condition multiple sclerosis, which affects around 100,000 people around the UK. It develops after a protein surrounding the brain and spinal cord (myelin) becomes damaged following a breakdown in the immune system. This disrupts nerve signals from the brain to the rest of the body resulting in loss of vision, muscle stiffness and uncontrollable movement, fatigue and ataxia (balance and coordination problems).

Reporting their data in the journal Nature, scientists from Yale University in the U.S. and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, in Germany, say that they believe salt consumption could be connected to rising rates in autoimmune diseases. Previously many health experts have stated that genetics increase the risk of such diseases in addition to our surrounding environment. Other reasons for the progression of multiple sclerosis are from a viral infection, smoking and a lack of vitamin D.
In their report, the researchers note: “This study is the first to indicate that excess salt may be one of the environmental factors driving the increased incidence of autoimmune diseases.”

For their study, the team decided to focus on the presence of T helper cells in the body. T helpers are a sub-group of lymphocytes that work to help other cells fight viruses or bacteria by releasing T cell cytokines.

A subset of these T helper cells are known as ‘Th17 cells’ and past researcher has suggested that the Th17 cells help to promote inflammation that is important for defending against pathogens, and connected to diseases like multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Treatment options for some of these diseases involve manipulating T cell function.

Vijay Kuchroo of the Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a member of the Broad Institute, says: “The question we wanted to pursue was: How does this highly pathogenic, pro-inflammatory T cell develop. Once we have a more nuanced understanding of the development of the pathogenic Th17 cells, we may be able to pursue ways to regulate them or their function.”

The scientists found that by exposing the Th17 cells to a salt solution made them act more ‘aggressively’. In addition, it was discovered that adding salt to the diet of mice actually increased the number Th17 cells and that genetically engineered mice with a form of MS, suffered with more severe MS disease in comparison to those mice fed a more ‘normal’ diet.

Study co-author Ralf Linker, from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, said: “These findings are an important contribution to the understanding of multiple sclerosis and may offer new targets for a better treatment of the disease, for which at present there is no cure.”

Another of the study’s authors, Professor David Hafler, from Yale University, added: “These are not diseases of bad genes alone or diseases caused by the environment, but diseases of a bad interaction between genes and the environment. Humans were genetically selected for conditions in sub-Saharan Africa, where there was no salt. Today, Western diets all have high salt content and that has led to increase in hypertension and perhaps autoimmune disease as well.”