Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune skin condition that causes flakey, dandruff-like scaling on the skin’s surface, which is a result of excessive skin cell buildup. The National Psoriasis Foundation says about 125 million psoriasis cases are recorded worldwide.
These are its common signs, though they may vary at times…
1. Red Patches
The appearance of red bumpy patches on the skin is psoriasis’ trademark symptom. These can appear anywhere on the body, but most of them appear on the scalp, knees, torso, and elbows.
These red patches are often accompanied by our next symptom…
2. Scales On The Patches
After some time, the psoriasis patches start to get covered by flakey white or silvery scales that resemble dandruff. This is the result of the skin producing new skin cells too rapidly.
And, these patches are as uncomfortable as they are unsightly…
3. Itching and Burning Sensations
Perhaps the most annoying part of psoriasis is the itching. About 90% of people with psoriasis say they feel increasingly itchy or that their skin rash becomes painful at times. Many factors such as weather, stress, and the frequent urge to scratch can worsen the condition.
Unfortunately, the itching and burning can result in our next symptom…
4. Bleeding
Having itchy, dry skin on a normal day is bad enough, but psoriasis takes it to a whole new level, as the skin has a tendency to crack and sometimes even bleed when itched and touched excessively.
Psoriasis also affects the least expected parts of the body…
5. Changes In Toenails
Psoriasis causes changes in the nails, too. The nails in both hands and feet start to develop Beau’s lines and become thicker due to a fungal infection called onychomycosis, but at the same time, these also begin to weaken and crumble.
Movement becomes strained with psoriasis, too…
6. Inflamed Joints
As crazy it may sound, some people with psoriasis also experience psoriatic arthritis, where the joints become painful and swollen while having normal psoriatic symptoms. While these two conditions are similar, they do not trigger one other.
Want to know another thing you might have to worry about with psoriasis? Expect your insides to be brewing up a storm every now and then…
7. Digestive Problems
Psoriasis appears to be linked to digestive conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), since the skin and the intestines are equally absorbent and sensitive. This makes them prone to inflammation in the body.
Psoriasis can als make you cool, but not in the way you think…
8. Chills
Those who have erythrodermic psoriasis, a type where the entire surface of the skin is affected, will tend to feel colder than usual, even in humid temperatures.
And, all these symptoms can wear you out at times…
9. Fatigue
Fatigue appears to be a lesser-known symptom of psoriasis., although it seems to be more prevalent in psoriatic arthritis patients. This constant tiredness is linked to the inflammation the body suffers in the skin and in the joints.
Every so often, all the itching and aching could lead to…
10. Fever
Although it’s uncommon, a number of people with psoriasis tend to develop a low-grade fever as a result of the symptoms all acting up together, which likewise happens in various cases of infections.
