More than 125 million people worldwide are affected by Psoriasis, said Dr Nadim Siddiqui, Member of Pakistan Association of Dermatology and International Society of Dermatology. Speaking to media persons at Karachi Press Club on Tuesday, Dr Nadim said two to four percent Pakistanis are affected by Psoriasis which is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease.
While discussing the signs and symptoms, Dr Nadim said that inflamed, scaly red skin regions are the most common symptoms in patients. The skin itches and causes severe pain to the patient. Talking about the importance of psoriasis awareness Dr Nadim said patients do not take skin diseases seriously as they think it is not life threatening. Such factors along others lead to more prevalence of skin problems. Awareness level of skin diseases like psoriasis is very low despite the fact that its prevalence ranges from 20-50 percent in developing countries. Early cardiovascular deaths have been reported in psoriatic patients as compared to general population, he added.
He added that in some cases skin disease becomes a social stigma for the patients, who feel that the society and medical fraternity undermine the impact of the disease on their lives. Patients often become reclusive and develop mental health problems. In some severe cases, patients have even thought about suicide. On childhood psoriasis Dr Nadim, Consultant Dermatologist at Civil Hospital and Assistant Professor Dermatology Dept DOW University, said that one third of the patients in the world are below the age of 18.
He mentioned that the plaque type of psoriasis is the most common form found in children. Some studies appear to show a link between childhood obesity and psoriasis. However, there's a consensus among the medical fraternity that the disease has a genetic basis as 23.4 percent to 71 percent of child patients have a family history of psoriasis. In some cases even if the parent doesn't have psoriasis, the children can inherit the disease through a grandparent that had it.
Dr Nadim also shared the findings of the Pakistan Psoriasis Foundation and revealed that in an analysis of survey data from 5,000 psoriasis patients, 20 percent of women said that psoriasis was a very large problem in their everyday lives, compared to only 12 percent of men. In addition, approximately 60 percent of women said that psoriasis interferes with their ability to enjoy life, as compared to 52 percent of men. Overall, women have a much more difficult time dealing with the psychological and social issues brought about by having psoriasis. Elaborating the diseases associated with psoriasis, Dr Suhaib Yousufee, Senior Dermatologist, said Psoriasis can also cause inflammation of the joints, which is known as psoriatic arthritis.