In this article, we are going to talk about the connection between psoriasis and gout. Does these two really are connected with each other? Read on to this article and you’ll get to know the answer. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the read. Worry less, because it is for a guarantee that you will learn a lot from this article!
What is Psoriasis?
Psoriasis is actually a chronic autoimmune disease that might cause some inflammation and scale on the skin. Moreover, a healthy and normal skin may experience cell change once every month. Nevertheless, in the case of psoriasis, the cells in the skin may rise much faster. Not just that, as a matter of fact, it piles up on top of each other.
Moreover, psoriasis may first occur in the immune system of the body. This includes a particular type of white blood cell also known as the T cell. In the event that you develop psoriasis in the body, accidentally, the T cells will be put into action. Moreover, the cell may become extremely active. Therefore, it may lead to the rapid throughput and the unnatural swelling of the cells of the skin.
Remember, psoriasis is not just an ordinary and irritating skin disease, to may also lead to psoriatic arthritis or gout. This particular kind of arthritis is characterized by the inflammation of the joints, which may affect the 30 percent of the patients with psoriasis. We’ll be discussing psoriatic gout later on this article.
Types of Psoriasis
Just like any other conditions out there, psoriasis also has many types. This includes the following:
- Gluttate Psoriasis –this is often characterized by some small dots that are seen in childhood or early in adulthood.
- Erythrodermic Syndrome –this is what they often call as the most austere kind of psoriasis. Furthermore, it typically occurs in some people who have uneven plaque psoriasis.
- Inverse Psoriasis –the usual location of this type of psoriasis is in body fold parts, just like in knees and the elbows.
- Pustular Psoriasis –the bumps of this kind of psoriasis lie blisters of pimples. Nevertheless, this is rich in white blood cells.
- Plaque Psoriasis –this is the most common of all the forms of psoriasis. Likewise, it can appear on the elbows, knees, as well as some other areas in the body.
Symptoms of Psoriasis
Below are the most common symptoms of psoriasis:
- Signs or red skin that can sometimes be covered with crust scales.
- Loose skin that may be itchy, sensitive, and painful.
- Presence of dandruff in the scalp.
- Cracked, discolored skin, which gets bruises and bleeds easily.
- Staining in the fingers and toenails.
- Disengagement of the nails.
- Emotional problems due to the feeling of embarrassment.
Psoriasis and Gout: The Psoriatic Gout
A study in Harvard Medical School discovered that those individuals who suffer from psoriasis have around twice the risk of acquiring gout. additionally, those who suffer from PsA or Psoriatic Arthritis have around 5 times risk as high as those with no psoriasis. Overall, the risk approximations were considerable and may demonstrate a clear association between psoriasis, without or even with concomitant PsA, as well as the incident of gout.
Moreover, the study also discovered that there’s a bit of association in between a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and the risk of developing gout later on in life. Contrariwise, someone who had experienced osteoarthritis had a significant increase in the risk of developing gout. Additionally, the risk of gout was much higher in men than in women. The risk of developing gout increases with age when it comes to women, while it decreases when it comes to men.
It is significant that the doctor must be well aware of the relationship between gout, PsA, and psoriasis. When it comes to the evaluation of psoriasis, it is important to look out for possible symptoms of inflammatory arthritis.
In regards to the monitoring of the high levels of uric acid and the evaluation of gout flare-ups among sufferers of PsA or psoriasis, they say that there is no proof yet this particular type of monitoring can be beneficial in the prevention of the development of gout. There is a doctor from Italy who suggests that the levels of uric acid must be monitored routinely by rheumatologists and dermatologists to those who suffer from PsA and psoriasis. Not just that, when there is an increase in the uric acid levels, then a uric acid-lowering therapy must be considered.
