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 forced to fight this disease. Theories about incentives began to emerge hundreds of years ago. Today we have dozens of guesses at our disposal, but all of them are still awaiting scientific proof. Even studying the possible causes of psoriasis will help many patients avoid a relapse of the disease, and healthy people may not cope at all.
Hereditary theory
World dermatology has managed to establish one of the reasons for the onset of psoriasis for sure - it is a genetic predisposition. Today, 60% of all psoriasis patients have a relative with the same problem. These findings prompted scientists to further investigate the theory of the hereditary origin of squamous lichen.
On April 5, 2013, the WHO Secretariat produced a research report in this area. I managed to install the following:
- if one of the parents is ill in the family, the risk of illness of the child 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 appear even after several generations, "bypassing" the previous ones.
An important task for biochemists was to find out which gene is responsible for such an inheritance. A study of the patient's genome identified nine genetic loci that may be associated with psoriasis. However, the exact single gene that is responsible for the inheritance of the disease has not been established.
It is known only that the scaly lichen itself is not inherited, but only a predisposition to it. This means that a person whose loved ones have experienced a similar problem will not necessarily suffer from psoriasis. Therefore, it cannot be considered as an exclusively hereditary disease. In order for psoriasis to manifest itself, it will need additional pathogens, which can also be considered as its causes.
Also, 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 investigate the causes of scaly lichen.
Infections and viruses as pathogens
The infectious theory of the disease emerged as one of the first, it began to be studied about two centuries ago. Scientists in 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, as psoriasis in patients can appear suddenly and also suddenly go into remission. And today there are supporters of this idea among scientists.
Followers of the infectious theory believe that pathogens send an impulse to autonomic division and the endocrine system, affecting their 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 an additional provoking factor, the skin cells do not die in 30 days (which is natural for them), but in 4-5 days, which is why a group of keratinized cellsappears on the hands, head, 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 not one which could 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 also not completely rejected. There is still a link between psoriasis attacks and infections.
Angina, ARVI, streptococci, tonsillitis and other infections have been shown to often accompany the first outbreaks of scaly lichen and, in the remission stage, cause a relapse. But most doctors tend to believe that infections only cause the manifestation of an existing disease.
The theory of the viral nature of the disease was also one of the first to emerge. However, that assumption has completely collapsed since the time 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 squamous lichen.
The Theory of Altered Metabolism
One of the features that doctors noticed during psoriasis was a low temperature in the patients. At first, this was considered one of the symptoms of the disease, but over time doctors attached a different meaning to this phenomenon. The fact is that a constant drop in temperature indicates a disturbed metabolism.
Patient blood tests have confirmed that patients with psoriasis have too much cholesterol 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 has not yet been possible to determine whether cholesterol increases 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 has been established that vitamin C in patients with squamous lichen is in excess and vitamins B6, B12, A are insufficient. Also noticed that they have broken content:
- zinc;
- iron;
- copper;
- cobalt.
Changes in the mineral complex significantly reduce the adaptive and protective functions of the body. Simply put, scientists believe that metabolic disorders can create an ideal platform for disease: weakening the immune system, shortening the life of skin cells, etc. In the presence of an irritant (trigger) factor, the disease progresses and the first symptoms appear. What factors can influence this, we will also look at a bit below. Such changes not only cause inflammation of the body, but also psoriasis of the nails.
Such violations of the balance of useful components are confirmed in the laboratory. Therefore, when treating psoriasis, it is dangerous for a patient to take vitamins on his own. In complex therapy, a diet is necessarily used, often starvation and a low-calorie diet, since the metabolism of carbohydrates in patients is also impaired. The positive developments in these activities partially support the theory of impaired metabolism.
But most doctors consider these changes to be a consequence and not a cause of the disease. Such doubts are based on the fact that metabolic disturbances would slowly lead to other symptoms at first, and psoriasis in most cases manifests itself immediately on the skin.
Hormonal disruption of pathogenesis
Patient statistics show that women are slightly more likely to suffer from psoriasis than men. In addition, in the weaker sex with such a problem, outbreaks of symptoms of psoriasis 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 the event of disturbances in the hormonal background, patients often have relapses: during pregnancy, menopause, taking hormonal drugs, etc. This hypothesis is supported by general statistics of the first manifestations of the disease. In women, the first symptoms occur at the age of 15, in men a little later - from 20 to 25 years. This is due to the fact that hormonal balance occurs later in the stronger sex.
But this theory has also encountered opponents in the face of scientists. The fact that changes in the hormonal background cause epidemics of dermatosis today does not raise doubts among doctors, however, this is considered to be the root cause of the disease. The hypothesis that hormones can cause psoriasis in a healthy person is ruled out, as the first symptoms and relapses of the disease occur against a background of hormonal "calm".
Psychosomatics of illness
Research by the World Health Organization in the field of psoriasis has revealed that 2% of the total population of the planet are confronted with this disease. At the same time, the proportion of patients in developed countries and megalopolises is much higher than in peripheral or underdeveloped countries - on average it is 4, 6%. They began to study an unusual trend, hoping to find the cause of the psoriasis. The research and scientists' conclusion 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 for". Some doctors tend to believe that psoriatic plaques are the body's way of announcing a problem on a nervous basis. Hence the fluctuations in statistics: in mega-cities, life is more impetuous, associated with a lot of stress, unlike a more measured life in a small town.
Psychologists also involved in the treatment of patients are more sensitive 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. So, various changes in the nervous system can cause digestive disturbances, 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 out". The suppression of such desires leads to the fact that adrenaline is deposited in the body and gradually destroys the organs and their functions.
- Stress, neurosis, depression. Such changes can become the cause of the same metabolic disorders, hormonal disturbances, etc.
- Feelings of guilt, unfulfilled duty.
- Self-doubt.
- Dissatisfaction with your own body.
- Constant feeling of fear, anger or other strong emotions.
Sedative treatment and psychological training show noticeable positive results in patients, which promotes the psychosomatic nature of psoriasis. Even the doubts about babies (where does psoriasis come from then? ) Are explained by psychologists. It is known that newborns are able to sense and respond to the condition and well-being of the mother. Thus, in case of problems with the mother, the baby can undergo various changes, up to pathologies.
Child care is also considered a factor in the development of scaly 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 dysfunctions, and papules and plaques 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 old. 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 sensitive body of the child in the form of an inflamed rash.
Today, this theory of the causes of psoriasis is considered one of the main ones, along with immunological. Squamous lichen therapy charmingly includes self-improvement, elimination of negative thoughts and stress, and a state of rest. For treatment, they even prescribe meditation and yoga classes, travel, recreation, which help the patient no worse than medication. However, the course and development of the disease suggests that the psychological factor is far from the only one.
Hypothesis in case of impaired immunity
Research into the genetic theory of the origin of psoriasis has revealed that all patients have impaired cellular immunity. This characteristic is also hereditary, but it can also result from genetic mutations. Scientists have suggested that with a congenital or acquired predisposition, damaged skin may be prone to autoimmune aggression. In other words, the body perceives the affected skin cells as hostile and attacks them.
This hypothesis was supported by blood tests of patients and by the study of scales on plaques. It turned out that in keratinized cells there really were antigenic complexes and antibodies against 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 immunity disorders play an important role in the formation of the first foci of psoriasis. In complex medical treatments, bearing in mind this fact, antihistamines are used to reduce the aggression of the immune system towards their own cells. However, there are still a number of factors that affect the course of the disease and its relapses, although not related to immunology, therefore, of all the theories considered, there are none that have beenunanimously accepted.
Preventable causes of relapse
The search for the root cause of the disease has led to the emergence of a mass of theories and hypotheses which await their scientific justification. Despite the fact that we haven't been able to find a single cause, we have a long list of factors that cause a relapse.
The first of these factors is stress, negative changes in the nervous system become a trigger early in the disease and cause flare-ups of existing psoriasis. Considering this fact, doctors recommend their patients to avoid stressful situations as much as possible.
Patients should adopt an active lifestyle, play sports, travel.
In about 14% of patients, squamous lichen begins at the sites of trauma and skin damage, 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 washcloths, 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 should not rely on reviews and photos on the Internet to independently "make" a diagnosis. This will only waste you precious time, it is better to consult a specialist.
Medication (pills and medicated ointments) should be monitored by a doctor, especially with regard to antibiotics and immunomodulators. Even additional vitamins can cause the disease to progress, especially vitamins C, A, B. If you are infected with infections or fungi, you should definitely see 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.
Good 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, to avoid junk food, allergenic foods (honey, nuts, chocolate, citrus fruits, red foods, etc. ).
Thus, the patient should maintain a completely healthy lifestyle: exercise his body, monitor his nutrition and strengthen his moral health. This also includes the mandatory rejection of alcohol, since even small doses provoke an epidemic of the disease. Such principles will serve to prevent not only psoriasis, but also many other diseases.