Medical facts about psoriasis in children
No one knows exactly what causes psoriasis, though scientists believe it is an immune-mediated disease. With psoriasis, skin cells reproduce in 3 to 4 days instead of 28 to 30 days, as is normal. While normal skin cells are shed unnoticed, psoriasis skin cells build up and form raised, scaly lesions. It affects people differently, and its course is not easy to predict.
Skin involved with psoriasis becomes red from the increased blood supply to the rapidly dividing cells. The white scale, called plaque, is composed of dead skin cells that build up on the skin's surface. Psoriasis goes through an unpredictable cycle: flares, improvement, remission and reappearance.
The severity of each case is categorized by the percent of the body involved with psoriasis.
- Mild cases involve only a few lesions.
- Moderate cases cover 3 to 10 percent of the body. (The palm of your hand represents 1 percent of the body's skin surface.)
- Severe cases involve more than 10 percent of the skin surface, and, in rare cases, may include all of a person's skin.
It is not contagious. People do not "catch" psoriasis from other people, nor can they transmit the disease to others. Psoriasis does not spread on an individual's skin because of self-contagion.
The more you understand about psoriasis, the more you'll be able to help the children who have psoriasis manage the disease. Here are answers to the most common medical questions about psoriasis:
Q: What is psoriasis?
A: Psoriasis is a noncontagious, chronic (life-long) skin disease. The condition is caused by skin cells maturing in 3 to 4 days, instead of the usual 28 to 30 days. It is characterized by reddening of the skin, lesions and white plaques. A person with psoriasis may have only a few lesions, or may have widespread lesions across most of the body.
Q: What causes psoriasis?
A: Researchers are not certain what causes the disease. It is believed to be an immune-mediated disease. Genetics seems to play a part, as do environmental factors. Scientists believe that a biochemical stimulus triggers the abnormally high skin cell growth.
Q: Who gets psoriasis?
A: While all races have the disease, Caucasians tend to have a slightly higher incidence. It appears most often between the ages of 15 and 35, though it can strike in infancy or old age. Psoriasis in infants may be difficult to diagnose and can sometimes be mistaken for eczema. About a third of all patients will present in childhood with psoriasis. Experts say that about ten percent of all patients with psoriasis get it before the age of ten; this group seems to be more genetically predisposed to psoriasis.
Q: How is psoriasis diagnosed?
A: There is no specific medical test for psoriasis. A physician usually makes the diagnosis after examining the skin, scalp, nails and, sometimes a biopsy under a microscope.
Q: Is all psoriasis alike?
A: There are several forms of psoriasis.
- Plaque: most common type, characterized by inflamed skin lesions topped with white scales
- Guttate: small dot-like lesions
- Pustular: blister-like lesions of noninfectious fluid (pustules)
- Inverse: appears in skin folds
- Erythrodermic: redness and swelling, exfoliation of dead skin and pain
About 10 to 30 percent of people with psoriasis also have psoriatic arthritis, which usually affects the feet and hands. It can affect a few joints, or it can be severe or disabling.
Q: Is there a cure for psoriasis?
A: There is no cure at present. However, many different treatments—topical and systemic—can clear psoriasis for periods of time. Experimentation is often required to find a treatment that works for an individual.
Infants: Treatment is very conservative. Vasoline Petroleum Jelly and moisturizers can be a good first step. An Aveeno oatmeal bath and Benedryl cream can help relieve the itching, but a physician must be consulted before starting any treatment with an infant.
Children: For mild psoriasis, sunlight may be helpful. For moderate cases, regular UVB or narrow band UVB therapy can help clear the lesions. Many cases have been triggered by strep infection, so antibiotics may help clear the bacteria that could have triggered the psoriasis.
Teens: UVB therapy can help clear the psoriasis. Oral medications may have different side effects for teens, and potent topical steroids need to be applied with caution because they can be absorbed too quickly.
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