Psoriasis is primarily an immune system disease, which means it is not infectious as a rash or a virus might be.  For this reason, the more researchers learn about the immune system and how it interacts with psoriasis, the closer we will come to finding a cure.

How does psoriasis work?

White blood cells (part of the immune system) stimulate excess growth of skin cells, leading to the excessive scaling, which in turn causes itching general irritation. In particular, dysfunctional T-cells wreak havoc on the body’s ability to regenerate skin cells at a normal, balanced rate.

For this reason prescription medications that change immune system functionality have been developed to prevent these cells from hyper-proliferating (immunosuppressants). This is the most ground-breaking area of psoriasis research, which has been getting a lot of press in recent years because so many people suffer from psoriasis and are willing to go out of their way to find a more effective cure. Within the United States alone, estimates place the number of people affected by psoriasis between 5.5 and 7.5 million.

The connection between psoriasis and the immune system continues to intrigue/befuddle researchers.  For this reason, clinical studies are ongoing to find a way to shut off the mechanisms that lead to psoriasis inspired immune system issues.

The immune system is extremely complex, and disorders can lead to some of humanity’s most troublesome diseases, including AIDS.  There is much at stake for the millions of people affected by immune system / cell proliferation disorders.

There are ways you can support research efforts that will eventually lead to developing a cure for psoriasis.  Donations to the research foundations (such as the National Psoriasis Foundation) are always welcome.  You can also invest time as a volunteer, which might include educating the public about the causes and treatments that are available on the market today. There are also a number of psoriasis triggers aside from a dysfunctional immune system that need to be researched further. With an increasing measure of education and general investment, a cure for psoriasis will hopefully be found in the near future.

The cause of psoriasis has not been identified, though there are multiple theories.  Much of the medical community considers psoriasis an immune-mediated disorder, not a true auto-immune disease.  Excessive cell production is a side-effect of T cells becoming active and moving to a deep layer of skin. This migration causes cytokines to be released through the skin causing inflammation. It can be proven that the T cells become active, but no evidence proving the reason.  Thus, for people with severe cases of psoriasis, the only viable treatment seems to be some kind of immunosuppressant.

An immunosuppressant is a drug that hinders the way the immune naturally functions. These drugs can be taken orally or by injection. There are two common types of these drugs. Biologics are systemic treatments that are animal or human protein by-products. They stop communication between cells in the immune system. Conventional systemics are combinations of synthetic components that work with the immune system to slow the production of skin cells. They are used to treat severe types of psoriasis. There are several side-effects of both types of medications. In some cases, they cause allergic reactions or skin growths or tumors.

In all cases, using immunosuppressants will decrease the body’s ability to stave off infection. Despite their effectiveness, this puts patients at risk. The level of risk varies from one individual to another based on several factors from severity of the condition to age. Though severe infections are rare, many patients report greater receptiveness to colds and every day viruses. Patients on biologics seem more susceptible to illness than those on conventional systemics. This makes flu vaccinations even more important.