Is it possible to get disability when attacked by a disease such as psoriasis? This is a question many people ask. Since this disease is a severe, and most importantly, chronic form of arthritis, and it is also fraught with relapses and complications, the answer is that you can get a disability group.
A disability group is assigned only when at least four months have passed since the cessation of working ability due to illness.
To get a group, the disease must be proven, and for this you will need to collect some documents and go through several stages of examination.
Symptoms and signs of psoriasis
The onset of the disease is barely noticeable: at first it affects small areas of the skin. Traditionally, the first rashes are localized on the bends of the limbs and scalp. Sometimes the disease becomes noticeable at the site of mechanical irritation, where the skin rubs and presses. First, the person complains of itching and a general unpleasant feeling. He feels like his skin is tight. Subsequently, small islands appear, noticeably rising above the skin. As the disease progresses, gray skin scales appear on them, resembling wax shavings in appearance and shape. They are easy to separate from the skin.
After tearing off, the skin becomes wet and then becomes covered with yellowish crusts. If you separate them too, the pimples begin to bleed and continue to get wet. Gradually, plaques grow and merge with each other, which leads to damage to an increasing percentage of the skin surface. The types of rashes, as well as the consequences for the patient, may vary depending on the type of pathology.
Symptoms and features of psoriasis
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammation that affects the skin. Absolutely all areas of the human body - from the top of the head to the tips of the toes - can be susceptible to the negative effects of this disease. This development of events is caused by the unnaturally rapid growth of skin cells. Currently, psoriasis is the most common non-infectious skin disease. What adds to the sadness is that this problem is poorly treated and preventable.
Reasons for development
As strange as it may be, medical researchers still cannot specifically answer the question about the reasons for the development of psoriasis. The two main suspected factors are hereditary predisposition and the extremely strong activity of the human body's immune system.
Scientists identify the following factors under which the disease can manifest itself and begin to seriously develop:
- Very frequent hypothermia of the skin or frequent exposure to too dry climates.
- A variety of infectious processes can trigger the development of the disease.
- Nervous system disorders, depression, constant stress.
- Use of various medications.
Symptoms of the disease
The initial stage of psoriasis development is always very acute and occurs without any symptoms. If we talk about the very first symptoms, they appear in the form of papules, that is, a pronounced rash, on various areas of the skin. In addition, the patient may feel quite severe itching at the site of the rash. After some time, the rash becomes covered with peculiar silvery scales.
In some cases, the disease can even affect the nails. Here, the appearance of psoriasis resembles a fungus and may have the following symptoms:
- Multiple small indentations begin to appear on the nails.
- The edges of the nails become unnatural and slightly yellow.
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Which doctor should I contact to establish a diagnosis and obtain a disability group for psoriasis?
A dermatologist diagnoses and treats psoriasis. But if a person applies to receive the appropriate group, he should obtain data from examinations of other specialists, because the final verdict is made on the basis of a comprehensive examination. The list of such doctors includes:
- orthopedist;
- traumatologist;
- therapist;
- radiologist;
- surgeon;
- neurologist;
- cardiologist;
- ENT
The need to visit a number of doctors to obtain a group is also due to the fact that in order to determine the type of psoriasis, which, in turn, affects the possibility of obtaining disability, you need to undergo several examinations:
- general analysis of blood fluid;
- biochemical examination;
- stool analysis;
- skin biopsy.
The results of this diagnosis also help in prescribing subsequent therapy.
Degree of psoriasis: indications for registration of disability
Disability for psoriasis can only be obtained after a full and comprehensive analysis of the patient’s general condition. The doctor, after examining him, makes a decision about whether registration of disability is necessary or whether it can be done without it. The following conditions are identified as indications for conducting a medical and social examination (MSE):
- a progressive form of pathology that is not amenable to drug therapy;
- the patient is on sick leave continuously for a 4-month period or has a disability for 5 months. All in all;
- there are restrictions in terms of self-service.
Traditionally, doctors make decisions about a patient’s disability due to psoriatic arthritis or particularly severe forms of the lesion.
Features of the disease
Treatment of patients diagnosed with psoriasis takes place on an outpatient basis or in a hospital setting. Hospitalization is required for extensive lesions and advanced stages of the disease, when intensive care is necessary.
The patient stays in the hospital for at least 25 days; for psoriatic erythroderma, treatment lasts up to 2 months. If the incapacity for work lasts more than 4 months, the patient is sent to medical examination. It happens that at this moment the active phase ends, then follow-up treatment may be offered. When there is no positive result, disability group 2 is assigned, with the limitation of working in working conditions that irritate the skin.
If you have psoriatic arthritis, do you give disability or not? This form of psoriasis is difficult to treat, the process of deformation can be slowed down, but it will not be possible to restore the damaged joints, frequent exacerbations worsen the situation, so disability with this type of psoriasis is most often given. If polyarthritis is diagnosed, with dysfunction of the joints leading to their destruction, disability group 2, sometimes 1, is assigned.
What you can count on:
- With psoriatic arthritis and moderate erythroderma, the patient receives group 3, since he needs a change in working conditions and transfer to another light job. For example, a person with affected hand joints cannot work in production with small parts or carry heavy loads. If you have skin lesions, it is harmful to be in the fresh air, near sources of light radiation; you cannot prepare food for a large number of people.
- Group 2 is given for severe cases, when it is difficult for the patient to move, work and care for himself. People are able to do housework only during periods of remission.
- Sometimes in severe forms, when a person is unable to move and needs constant care, this happens with the diagnosis of psoriatic arthropathy; disability can also result in group 1.
The procedure for registering disability with psoriasis
To obtain the status of a disabled person and count on government assistance and support, you first need to go through a lengthy and tedious procedure. It includes a number of successive stages.
- Make an appointment with your doctor. He is responsible for issuing referrals for appointments with other specialists (their list was discussed earlier). Sometimes an ultrasound examination is prescribed.
- After receiving a referral, it must be certified by the chief physician and stamped.
- To obtain information about a specific disability group that you can count on, you must undergo an examination. At this stage, specialists examine the patient’s condition in detail and draw conclusions. If the patient is interested in receiving a group, there is no need to delay this moment.
- The disabled person receives an IPR and a reference document, which will allow him to count on registration and subsequent receipt of a pension. To do this, you need to go to the nearest branch of the pension fund and create a request for benefits, benefits and other types of assistance.
If the documents are normal and the condition corresponds to the stated requirements of the requesting party, the petition is approved. If something is wrong, a refusal is given. If you disagree with a negative decision, the patient has the right to appeal to higher authorities to review the commission's conclusion. Sometimes the case gains serious momentum and ends up in court.
Is there any disability for psoriasis?
Disability in patients suffering from psoriasis is prescribed, since this disease involves a decrease in opportunities for work, self-care in everyday life, and, in principle, for leading full-fledged life activities.
What the law says
Is it possible for any patient with psoriasis to get disability? It all depends on how long ago the diagnosis was made, whether the patient regularly underwent appropriate medical examinations, the results of which may indicate a persistent disorder of body functions.
Order of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation No. 1024n states that patients with psoriasis are entitled to disability if a quantitative assessment of the stage of functional impairment meets the established criteria.
What is needed to pass the commission?
In Russia, the Main Bureau of Medical and Social Expertise, which exists in all regions of the country - in large cities and regional centers, considers applications for assignment of disabled status. The procedure can be scheduled at the following location:
- permanent residence;
- temporary stay;
- finding pension documents if the person currently lives outside the country.
A medical and social examination in exceptional cases due to the patient’s unsatisfactory health condition (if the need is confirmed by relevant medical documents or by a decision taken in absentia by representatives of the bureau) can also be carried out at home.
The process begins with the patient declaring his desire to obtain disabled status to his attending physician. The doctor will draw up a list of specialists and medical examinations that need to be completed to collect a complete package of documents for submission to the bureau.
The standard package includes the following papers:
- Patient's medical record (form No. 025/u-04), including the results of medical examinations for the current year with a plan for clinical observations for the next year.
- Referral to ITU with a tear-off coupon (form No. 088/u-06).
Before the start of the next stage, the correctness of filling out the documents and their completeness is checked by the deputy chief physician responsible for clinical expert work.
List of documents required for registration of disability
A disability group is given only if the patient provides the package of documents required by law. It includes the following set of papers:
- identification;
- insurance policy, abbreviated as compulsory medical insurance;
- referral for a medical and social examination;
- all necessary medical papers, including extracts, certificates, x-rays, ultrasound results, blood tests, stool tests;
- work book, if the patient has one;
- educational papers if you are studying at a higher or secondary institution;
- YPRES;
- certificate of disability.
The last two documents are required in case of repeated re-examination.
Refusal of medical and social examination
Quite rarely, but there are still cases when a medical and social examination, for some reason, refuses to register a disability for patients. Not every person is ready to put up with this, which is why you should always know where to turn in such situations. Experts recommend contacting the ITU main bureau to challenge the decision. The patient must prepare absolutely all possible documentation in his situation regarding the disease, recommendations of specialists, and evidence of their completion.
To resolve the issue, a special commission is being assembled, which will conduct repeated and additional examinations. The patient must prepare documents about his professional activities, as well as his place of residence.
If the commission examines the case and makes a positive decision on the issue of disability, the patient will be assigned the appropriate group.
Disability groups for psoriasis
Their establishment is made in accordance with the complications resulting from the disease. Traditionally, the examination appoints group 2 or 3 for one year period. When it passes, a re-examination is carried out. Together with this procedure, the patient’s level of performance is determined.
- First. It is the mildest and is accompanied by a mild course of the disease. There are no restrictions on life activities.
- Second. It is given in cases where the disease affects the joints and joins the general process of erythroderma and pustular rashes. There are restrictions on self-care, movement, and ability to work. The condition corresponds to the 3rd disability group.
- Third. The most difficult situation. In this case, even with long-term therapy, the disease continues to develop and does not respond to any treatment tactics. Disability group 2 is issued.
The amount of government assistance and support depends on the group received.
Features of the diseases psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and how they limit ability to work
In the Russian Federation (RF), a disabled person is a person who has a chronic, often recurrent disease and cannot fully perform labor functions or care for himself.
According to the law of the Russian Federation, if an illness lasts longer than 4 months or a person loses the ability to work for 5 or more months in a year, then disability is issued. Depending on the severity of the condition, a person is assigned disability of the first, second or third group.
Psoriatic arthritis is a severe form of psoriasis, in which joints are deformed, severe pain occurs, and large areas of the body are affected (from 30%). A person's mobility is limited and their quality of life deteriorates.
The disease is difficult to treat: the deformation process can be slowed down, but damaged joints cannot be restored. With severe pathology, relapses occur frequently and cause harm to internal organs. Therefore, the patient has the right to contact the MSEC institution and apply for a disability group.
With psoriatic arthritis, erythroderma, a person has to change working conditions and transfer to another job. For example, the joints of the hands are affected and the person has lost the ability to carry heavy loads and work with small parts. If the skin is affected, it is prohibited to be near sources of light radiation, in the fresh air, or to prepare food for a large number of people. With moderate severity of the pathology, the third disability group is given.
If the disease occurs with complications, and it is difficult for a person to work, move, or take care of himself during periods of exacerbation, then he is assigned a second disability group. If the ability to move is completely lost, the patient needs constant care, then the first group is registered.
Oligoarthritis refers to damage to one or two joints. Children with this diagnosis may experience growth retardation and asymmetrical development of the limbs. If, due to deformation or severe pain, a person loses the ability to walk, he is assigned a disability.
Damage to the distal interphalangeal joints of the hands in psoriasis is a common cause of disability. Medicine is unable to cure such a disease. The person experiences severe pain in the joints and hands. About 7% of people with psoriasis and joint damage are assigned disability from groups I to III.
With polyarthritis, connective tissue is affected and inflammation develops in small joints.
According to statistics, the pathology occurs in 0.5% of the planet's population. The disease reduces life expectancy by 5-7 years.
Lack of proper treatment leads to partial or complete loss of joint mobility.
Then a person cannot work normally and take care of himself. Scleritis, amyloidosis, and glomerulonephritis develop as complications.
In case of symmetrical polyarthritis with joint dysfunction, destruction, progression, the second or first disability group is assigned. About 50% of people with this diagnosis lose their ability to work.
Spondyloarthritis is a spinal pathology characterized by inflammatory and degenerative processes, accompanied by acute pain and limited mobility. Sacroiliitis (Bechterew's disease) is a disease associated with inflammation of the sacroiliac joint. The pathology progresses, spreads to soft tissues, and limits mobility in large joints and the spine. In case of spondyloarthritis and sacroiliitis, disability is assigned if the disease is advanced and long-term remission is not achieved.
Disability for the diseases considered is formalized with pronounced systemic manifestations and decreased ability to work.
To receive disability due to psoriatic arthropathy, a person needs to go through a number of stages. First, an application is drawn up in writing and submitted to the district clinic at the place of residence. An examination is then carried out to make an accurate diagnosis. A package of documents is collected and submitted to the MSEC institution. The patient is sent for a medical and social examination to determine the severity of the pathology, the degree of ability to work and the possibility of self-care.
Bypass sheet
After submitting an application to the district clinic, a bypass sheet is issued to undergo a comprehensive examination. First, the patient must visit the doctor with whom he is registered. The doctor will refer you for additional diagnostics.
We suggest you familiarize yourself with what psoriasis looks like on toenails
It will take a lot of time to get through these specialists. You will have to examine the skin, kidneys, joints, heart, and nervous system.
The patient will be advised to undergo urine and blood tests, have an electrocardiogram, radiography of the joints, ultrasound, and MRI. The results will show what damage the pathology has caused to the body.
After going through all the specialists on the bypass sheet, you will need the signature and seal of the head doctor of the clinic. If the attending doctor has no comments, he will issue a referral for a medical and social examination.
If, during the examination of doctors, an improvement in the condition was revealed, then the commission decides to extend the sick leave and recommends an individually selected rehabilitation program to the patient. If the specialists of the medical institution cannot make a decision, the patient’s examination report is sent to the main bureau.
You are sent for a medical and social examination if:
- the disease progresses and cannot be treated;
- the patient has been on continuous sick leave for more than 4 months;
- there is a limitation of life activity;
- working qualifications have been reduced.
To register a disability, the MSEC commission must submit a package of documents and after it is reviewed, the specialists will make a decision.
Standard list:
- application for medical and social examination;
- direction;
- passport;
- for workers - a certificate from the place of work (working conditions, income);
- employment history;
- medical history card;
- characteristics (for schoolchildren, university and vocational school students);
- discharge from the hospital.
The commission notifies you of its decision by sending a letter to your place of registration.
Disability is assigned by ITU or MSEC, in accordance with the degree of ability to work.
1st DEGREE is considered the easiest and is characterized by the absence of restrictions on life activities;
GRADE 2 is given for diseases of the joints with the addition of pustules and erythroderma. This degree corresponds to disability group 3;
GRADE 3 corresponds to disability group 2 for psoriasis and is considered the most severe. It is assigned when long-term (more than 4 months) drug treatment with the most modern means and techniques is ineffective. This degree can be obtained with the development of arthropathic arthritis with joint deformity.
The skin is affected in many ways. Dermal cells multiply intensively, their structure is deformed, and as a result inflammation begins. The insidiousness of this disease lies in the complex mechanism of development; the pathology does not bypass the internal organs of the patient and his joints.
Psoriasis can occur in very severe forms - pustular, arthropathic, erythroderma. Complications include painful pathologies of the kidneys and liver, cardiovascular disorders.
Psoriatic arthritis can deprive a person of functional abilities. There are three degrees:
- performance is maintained;
- is lost;
- mobility is so limited that the patient cannot judge himself independently.
Symptoms of psoriatic arthritis develop gradually or acutely:
- the shape of the joints changes;
- pain when moving or at night;
- morning stiffness;
- shortening of fingers;
- frequent multidirectional dislocations.
Psoriatic arthritis is a severe type of psoriasis characterized by joint deformity. A person may partially or completely lose their ability to work. In addition, this disease is accompanied by a strong combat syndrome - large areas of the body are covered with flaky scales, and provided that they occupy more than 30% of the skin, the person experiences painful sensations. This is a reason to contact your local doctor with a request to write out a referral to VTEK.
In principle, the answer to the question of whether a person can get a group is positive, but for this there must be the main factors that were listed just above.
However, psoriasis is not a disease in which the patient can absolutely count on being assigned a status. Most often, patients are assigned disability group 3, regardless of the severity of the pathology. It gives the patient the opportunity to adjust his work schedule or change his specialization if the current profession involves physical labor. The third group gives a person the right to social assistance when purchasing necessary medications, as well as to small pension payments.
To receive government support, people with this disease group must prove loss of working capacity and inability to lead a normal lifestyle due to pathological changes in the joints. In this case, experts pay attention to:
- low effectiveness of therapy;
- continuous stay on sick leave - more than 4 months;
- reduction in qualifications, and forced transfer of the patient to light labor conditions;
- deterioration in quality of life - inability to self-care.
Depending on the severity of certain symptoms, as well as on the progression of the pathology, the patient is assigned a certain disability group.
It is prescribed if the patient is undergoing outpatient or inpatient treatment. If the lesions grow sharply, the patient must be urgently hospitalized. A patient is considered temporarily disabled if there are pathological formations on the face or joints, as well as in the case of diagnosed arthropaic aggravated psoriasis. Duration - up to 45 days.
These degrees can be assigned in cases where the disease progresses. The patient is in the hospital for more than 1 month. If the length of stay increases to 120 days, the patient is automatically referred to MTU.
The patient is in a hospital until the inflammation, pain syndromes are relieved and the condition of the affected joints improves. If doctors recognize that psoriasis is not treatable and dysfunction in the joints has occurred, the patient is assigned to group 1 or 2.
We suggest you read: How seborrheic psoriasis is treated
Typically, psoriasis affects isolated areas of the skin, which is called its mild form. If there are unfavorable conditions and factors, complications may arise. Internal organs are involved in the process and the body reacts. These are the following prerequisites.
- Side effect of some drugs.
- Unconventional therapy.
- Stressful situation.
- Hormone dysfunction.
- Infection.
- Exposure to sunlight.
- Hypocalcemia (calcium deficiency).
Disability pension amount
The monthly pension issued to disabled people varies depending on the assigned group (as of 2020):
- 1st gr. – RUR 8,647.51;
- 2nd gr. – 4,323.74 rubles;
- 3rd gr. – 3,675.20 rub.
If we are talking about disabled people from childhood who have group 1, they are entitled to 10,376.86 rubles. to payoff. Disabled children receive 10,376.86 rubles.
Thus, psoriasis is a disease for which you can count on disability if certain conditions and legal requirements are met.