Psoriasis: The Cause Of Autoimmune Disease

All around the nation, people are fighting off diseases and bacteria without even realizing it. The immune system is our body’s natural defense system, but what happens when it fails to recognize what is safe for our body and what isn 't? Autoimmune diseases affect about 8% of the population, making it the the third most common disease category in the United States after heart disease and cancer (cdc.gov). According to “The Immune System” by Edward Edelson and Healthline.com, these diseases do not appear without reason. There are reasons ranging from heredity to a form of drug or bacteria that confuses the antibodies within that fight the bad bacteria and viruses to keep us healthy. Although it’s supposed to defend our body against foreign toxins,

Someone with psoriasis has skin tissue that constantly replaces itself, contrary to every few months like someone without it. They would have reddish patches of skin that could either be raised or smooth, depending on where the patches are located. The patches can also appear to be scaly (generally called plaques due to its rigidity), and all can cause itchiness and discomfort. Approximately 7.5 million people in the United States suffer from psoriasis, of which it is mostly caucasians who suffer from it. Contrary to popular belief, psoriasis is not contagious. This disease is passed on through genetics, meaning that it travels through families, not through the air or physical contact. Psoriasis can also flare up due to stress, strep throat, or being exposed to cold weather (aad.org). As of today, there is no cure for psoriasis. However, there are various forms of treatments that can make having this chronic disease bearable. Sufferers can benefit from using humidifiers and skin moisturizers, which hydrates the dry skin. There is also light therapy, which is the exposure of skin tissue to UVB light. This slows down the growth of new cells and tissues to minimize the size and pain of the patches

The symptoms of lupus are acute, and there is a large variety and amount of what someone with lupus can feel or go through. According to the book “People With Lupus” by Theresa Foy DiGeronimo, the milder symptoms include swelling and pain of the joints, as well as breaking out into a skin rash. Sufferers can also feel malaise (a feeling of illness and unease) and fatigue. There can also be a fever that breaks out. The more agonizing symptoms include kidney disease, blood disorders, and the malfunctioning of the nervous system due to the attacking of nerve cells and structures. Lupus can be caused by infections, genetics, or overexposure to UV light or chemical factors. The available treatments for lupus symptoms include topical creams for rashes that appear on the skin. There are also steroid shots that can be taken (however, there is a possibility of having physical side effects due to these) and antimalarial and immunosuppressive drugs can be taken to ease the other symptoms. Unfortunately, lupus is an aggressive, chronic disease that has no cure. However, 90% of lupus patients can live for more than ten years, and thanks to today’s medicine advancements, around 80-90% of those patients can live a normal life