“Currently available medications don’t directly address the symptom of itching in psoriasis, however, most medications seem to improve the itch before they improve the psoriasis itself,” says Lawrence Green, MD, section editor of the Psoriasis Centers of Excellence for The Dermatologist, clinical professor of dermatology at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and a member of the medical board of the National Psoriasis Foundation. Biologic drugs like etanercept (Enbrel), adalimumab (Humira), infliximab (Remicade), and ustekinumab (Stelara), are better for itch than topical treatments because they have a central effect in the brain that reduces itch activation and improves mood. The goal in treating psoriatic itch is to inhibit the itch-scratch cycle. Treating your psoriasis is the best way to reduce itching, and there are a host of treatments, ranging from topical creams and photo (light) therapy to targeted biologics, that can help - though lack of access to treatment due to the pandemic can still be an issue. Indeed, for many people, the itch of psoriasis - which can be especially severe at night, disrupting sleep - has a bigger impact on their quality of life than the patches of thick raised skin covered with silvery scales that represent the visible aspect of the disease. And, in turn, stress and anxiety exacerbate itch, leading to a vicious cycle that worsens psoriasis and impacts quality of life. To make matters worse, itching isn’t just triggered by stress - it is also associated with increased anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders. “I’m seeing a lot of psoriatic exacerbations due to this stress phenomenon,” says Mona Gohara, MD, associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. ![]() The itching that accompanies psoriasis may be particularly bad right now since stress is a common trigger for psoriasis, and living with a chronic illness during the coronavirus pandemic can send stress levels soaring. What’s more, as many as 75 percent of psoriasis patients deal with this bothersome symptom - the condition’s primary source of discomfort - on a daily basis, according to one study in the British Journal of Dermatology. ![]() Itching affects up to 90 percent of people with psoriasis. To fully appreciate the connection between psoriasis and itching, it’s worth noting that the word psoriasis originates from the Greek word “psora,” which means to itch.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |