Finding an effective cure for psoriasis would be much easier for scientists if they could accurately understand the reasons for its occurrence. The question "why? " Appears not only in the luminaries of science, but also in every patient who is forced to fight this disease. Incentive theories began to emerge hundreds of years ago. Today we already have dozens of hypotheses, but all of them are still awaiting scientific proof. Studying the possible causes of psoriasis will also help many patients avoid a relapse of the disease, and healthy people may not cope with it at all.
Hereditary theory
World dermatology has certainly managed to establish one of the reasons for the appearance of psoriasis: it is a genetic predisposition. Today, 60% of all psoriasis patients have a relative with the same problem. These conclusions prompted scientists to study the theory of the hereditary origin of squamous lichen in more detail.
On 5 April 2013, the WHO Secretariat compiled a research report in this area. I managed to install the following:
- if one of the parents is sick in the family, the child's risk of illness is 14%;
- if both parents are affected in the family, this risk increases to 41%;
- if a sister or brother is sick - 6%.
In this case, psoriasis can occur even after several generations, "overriding" the previous ones.
An important task for biochemists was to find out which gene is responsible for this inheritance. A patient genome study 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 established.
It is only known that squamous lichen is not inherited, but only a predisposition to it. This means that a person whose relatives have encountered a similar problem will not necessarily suffer from psoriasis. Therefore, it cannot be considered an exclusively hereditary disease. In order for psoriasis to manifest itself, it will need additional pathogens, which can also be considered its causes.
Furthermore, 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 search further for the causes of the scaly lichen.
Infections and viruses as pathogens
The infectious theory of the disease appeared one of the first, it began to be investigated about two centuries ago. Scientists of the 19th century were convinced of the fault of pathological microorganisms and diligently tried to establish which of them were responsible for this disease. This explanation seemed the most obvious, since psoriasis in patients can suddenly appear and even suddenly go into remission. And today there are supporters of this idea among scientists.
Adherents of the infectious theory believe that pathogens send an impulse to the autonomic division and the endocrine system, affecting its functions. Such changes disrupt the normal ability of the body to respond to the influence of the environment, to adapt to it. As a result, if we add another provoking factor, the 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, on the face or 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. But among the pathological organisms known to medicine there is none that can become the "trigger" of this dermatosis. Today, the infectious theory of the appearance of scaly lichen is not considered the main one, but it is not completely rejected either. There is still some connection between psoriasis attacks and infections.
It has been established that angina, acute respiratory viral infections, streptococci, tonsillitis and other infections often accompany the first outbreaks of squamous lichen and in the phase of remission causes a relapse. But most doctors tend to believe that infections only cause the manifestation of an already existing disease.
The theory of the viral nature of the disease was also one of the first to emerge. However, this hypothesis has completely collapsed since medicine discovered that psoriasis does not spread from person to person. However, there are viruses that persist in the body for years, reduce immunity, and can cause psoriasis if the skin's immune system has been damaged. In practice, there are cases of blood transfusion from a sick person to a healthy person, even if a healthy body is not infected with scaly lichen.
The theory of impaired metabolism
One of the characteristics that doctors noticed in the course of psoriasis was the low temperature in the patients. At first, this was considered one of the symptoms of the disease, but over time, doctors have attributed a different meaning to this phenomenon. The fact is that a constant drop in temperature indicates a disturbed metabolism.
Patient blood tests confirmed that psoriasis patients have too much cholesterol in both 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 a cholesterol diathesis. However, it has not yet been possible to determine whether cholesterol rises before or after the first outbreak.
In addition to cholesterol in the patient's body, the balance of minerals and vitamins is disturbed, such changes also lead to serious consequences. It was found that vitamin C in patients with squamous lichen is in excess, and vitamins B6, B12, A are not enough. I also noticed that they have corrupted 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 lifespan of skin cells, etc. In the presence of an irritating factor (trigger), the disease progresses and the first symptoms appear. What factors can influence this, we will also consider a little below. Such changes cause not only inflammation on the body, but also nail psoriasis.
Such violations in the balance of useful components are confirmed in the laboratory. Therefore, during the treatment of psoriasis, it is dangerous for a patient to even take vitamins alone. In complex therapy, a diet is necessarily used, often hunger and low-calorie nutrition, since the metabolism of carbohydrates in patients is also impaired. Positive developments in such activities partially support the theory of impaired metabolism.
But most doctors see these changes as a consequence, not a cause of the disease. Such doubts are based on the fact that the metabolic disturbance would slowly lead to other symptoms at first and psoriasis manifests itself in most cases immediately on the skin.
Hormonal disruption in pathogenesis
Patient statistics show that women are slightly more likely to suffer from psoriasis than men. Also, in the weaker sex with such a problem, foci of psoriasis symptoms are observed mainly during the periods of ovulation and menstruation. Such characteristics in the "behavior" of the disease have prompted scientists to think about the hormonal factor in the development of the disease.
Indeed, in case of disruption of the hormonal background, patients often have relapses: during pregnancy, menopause, taking hormonal drugs, etc. This hypothesis is supported by the general statistics of the first manifestations of the disease. In women, the initial symptoms occur at the age of 15, in men a little later - at the age of 20-25. This is due to the fact that hormonal balance occurs later in the stronger sex.
But this theory has also met its opponents in front of scientists. The fact that changes in the hormonal background cause outbreaks of dermatosis today does not raise doubts among doctors, however, this is considered the main cause of the disease. The hypothesis that hormones can cause psoriasis in a healthy person is excluded, since the first symptoms and relapses of the disease occur against the background of hormonal "calm".
Psychosomatics of the disease
A research by the World Health Organization in the field of psoriasis has revealed that 2% of the total population of the planet is facing this disease. At the same time, the proportion of patients in developed countries and megacities is much higher than in peripheral or underdeveloped countries - on average, it is 4. 6%. An unusual trend began to be studied, hoping to find the cause of psoriasis. The research and conclusion of 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, all changes in health, including psychological instability, are "screened" on it. Some doctors are inclined to believe that psoriatic plaques are the body's way of announcing a problem on a nerve basis. Hence the fluctuations in statistics: in megacities life is more impetuous, associated with a lot of stress, in contrast to the more measured life in a small town.
Psychologists who are also involved in the treatment of patients are more susceptible to this theory. It is believed that mental disorders can affect not only the moral component, but also the organic component, that is, the body. Hence, various changes in the nervous system can cause indigestion, skin rashes, breathing problems, changes in heart rate.
These disorders include:
- Suppression of desires. For example, "I want to live with another person / work at another job / hit my boss / move house". The suppression of such desires leads to the fact that adrenaline settles in the body and gradually destroys the organs and their functions.
- Stress, neurosis, depression. Such changes can become the causes of the same metabolic disorders, hormonal disorders, etc.
- Feelings of guilt, unfulfilled duty.
- Insecurity.
- Dissatisfaction with one's body.
- A constant feeling of fear, anger or other strong emotions.
Treatment with sedatives and psychological training gives remarkable positive results in patients, which acts in favor of the psychosomatic nature of psoriasis. Doubts about children (where do they get psoriasis then? ) Are also explained by psychologists. It is known that newborns are able to hear and respond to the state and well-being of the mother. So, in case of problems with the mother, the baby can undergo various changes, up to pathologies.
Childcare is also seen as a factor in the development of squamous lichen in children. For example, in the absence of maternal affection, a child experiences the same strong emotions as an adult (pain, fear, resentment). The body, in turn, tries to signal malfunctions, and papules and plaques appear on the skin.
Parental over-custody can also lead to such consequences, but this case mainly occurs in families with children from 4 years old. The formed personality is trying to get more freedom, and the parent, on the contrary, is trying to bind the child to himself. The resulting conflict affects the baby's sensitive body in the form of an inflamed rash.
Today, this theory of the causes of psoriasis is considered one of the main, along with the immunological one. Scaly lichen therapy fascinatingly includes self-improvement, the elimination 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 drugs. However, the course and development of the disease suggests that the psychological factor is far from the only one.
Hypothesis in case of reduced 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 it can also result from gene mutations. Scientists have suggested that with a congenital or acquired predisposition, damaged skin can be prone to autoimmune aggression. That is, the body perceives the affected skin cells as hostile and attacks them.
This hypothesis was supported by the patients' blood tests and the study of scales on plaques. It turned out that in keratinized cells there are indeed antigenic complexes, and antibodies to these complexes were found in the blood. In healthy people, this is not observed either in the blood or in the dermis.
Such analyzes suggest that immunity disorders play an important role in the formation of 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 against its own cells. However, there are still a number of factors that influence the course of the disease and its relapses, although not related to immunology, therefore, of all the theories considered, there is none that has been unanimously accepted.
Causes of relapse that can be prevented
The search for the root cause of the disease has led to the emergence of a mass of theories and hypotheses that await their scientific justification. While we haven't been able to find a single cause, we have an extensive list of factors that cause relapse.
The first of these factors is stress, negative changes in the nervous system become a trigger at the onset of the disease and provoke outbreaks 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, squamous lichen begins at the sites of trauma and damage to the skin, this is possible if a person already has a predisposition to psoriasis. Scratches, scratched bites, or a rash can be the site of papules and plaques. Patients should carefully monitor the condition and cleanliness of the dermis, treat the wound site with hydrogen peroxide, and apply bandages or a plaster.
Regular moisturizers are also recommended for body and scalp care, as dry skin is more likely to relapse. It is necessary to abandon scrubs and peels, hard wipes, so as not to injure the skin again. You need to hydrate your body with hypoallergenic creams, ointments or baby oils. At the first signs of a rash, you shouldn't rely on reviews and photos on the Internet to "establish" a diagnosis independently. This will only take away your precious time, it is better to consult a specialist.
The intake of drugs (both pills and medicinal ointments) should be supervised by a doctor, mainly regarding antibiotics and immunomodulators. Additional vitamins can also provoke the progress of the disease, especially vitamins C, A, B. If you are infected with infections or fungi, you should definitely consult a doctor and not self-medicate. It is important not to bring viral diseases to chronic forms and not to delay going to the doctor.
Proper nutrition is essential. Patients are prescribed a diet that will strengthen the body and reduce the risk of relapse. For each patient, this is an individual nutritional system based on the stage of the disease, the level of immunity and the presence of concomitant diseases. It is important not to break the rules of the prescribed diet, avoid junk foods, allergenic foods (honey, nuts, chocolate, citrus, red foods, etc. ).
Therefore, the patient must maintain a completely healthy lifestyle: exercise the body, monitor nutrition and strengthen moral health. This also includes the mandatory refusal of alcohol, as even small doses provoke an outbreak of the disease. Such principles will serve to prevent not only psoriasis, but also many other diseases.