Ranks 2nd in prevalence guttate psoriasis (photo 1). It should be treated immediately as soon as papules appear. This chronic disease is not infectious in nature, however, the treatment of guttate psoriasis poses a certain difficulty.
Guttate psoriasis on the skin manifests itself as red-pink papules, gradually merging into plaques of different sizes. Numerous small dots indicate the area of skin damage - this is the teardrop form of psoriasis. The disease tends to appear suddenly, which is facilitated by its still poor understanding and a number of precursor factors.
Treatment of guttate psoriasis is complicated by the unknown location of the subsequent location - the initial stage of psoriasis is not so noticeable, they appear anywhere. Guttate psoriasis affects almost the entire skin.
Signs and symptoms of guttate psoriasis
Guttate psoriasis and its symptoms have many similarities with other forms of the disease. The patient may report the following complaints:
- The appearance of scaly rashes;
- Intense itching (often characterized by an acute onset of the process);
- The growth of pathological elements on the skin.
An important sign of this form is a rash. The spots differ from the usual plaques of psoriasis, are characterized by smaller sizes and often acquire a dotted character.
A more severe course of the disease, as a rule, occurs in the winter. In summer, symptoms may subside in a shorter period of time. The localization of the process is the abdomen, chest, arms and legs. Also, the rash can spread to the face, ears and scalp. In this case, teardrop-shaped spots never appear on the palms and soles of the feet.
What does guttate psoriasis look like?
There is a conditional division of the process according to the severity of the lesion:
- Mild degree with involvement of up to 3% of the skin;
- Moderate degree with involvement from 3% to 10;
- Severe disease affects more than 10% of the skin.
Which doctor should I contact?
If spots appear on the skin, peeling and itching appear, consult a dermatologist. The specialist will examine the skin, conduct a survey and write a referral for tests.
To identify systemic disorders in the functioning of the body that influenced the development of psoriasis, a comprehensive examination is required.
To diagnose the disease, contact an immunologist and other specialists
The patient is recommended to consult:
- immunologist;
- endocrinologist;
- psychologist;
- neurologist.
Causes of the disease
Guttate psoriasis and its causes, as well as its treatment, differ slightly from other forms of the disease. An autoimmune process is taking place. When the disease occurs, too active division of the skin occurs at the cellular level, which leads to an excessive accumulation of old and used cells that do not have time to be eliminated, and young cells are continuously formed. Clinically, this process is expressed in the development of scaly spots.
Diet for psoriasis
Psoriasis on legs
Psoriasis on hands
The next outbreak during the recurrence or debut of psoriasis is caused by a bacterial infectious process - streptococcus is usually considered the culprit. Less commonly, the cause may be a viral infection. The factor of heredity also plays a role. If a close relative has the pathology, the risk of developing the disease increases significantly.
Guttate psoriasis includes the following causes:
- Upper respiratory tract infections 2-3 weeks before skin manifestations;
- Tonsillitis;
- Stress;
- Injuries, burns and insect bites;
- Some medications taken: beta blockers, progesterone, antimalarials, or indomethacin.
Disorders of the body’s immune component also play a certain role. The development of the disease can be influenced by HIV infection or, for example, systemic lupus erythematosus.
Possible complications and doctors' forecasts
One of the complications of psoriasis can be the addition of a secondary infection, especially with severe itching in a child who involuntarily scratches the thin skin. Bacteria or microscopic fungi may subsequently enter the scratched areas, causing an infectious inflammation.
Many people are interested in whether guttate psoriasis goes away completely or not. However, according to experts, it is impossible to cure this disease once and for all. It is believed that with this form of the disease, relapses are observed in most cases due to decreased immunity. Therefore, this type of dermatosis is a common occurrence in children whose immune system does not work quite normally.
Therapy for psoriasis is aimed, firstly, at quickly eliminating the exacerbation, and secondly, at transferring the disease into remission.
Therefore, all people with psoriasis are under medical supervision and are subject to medical examination.
Diagnosis of guttate psoriasis
A simple examination and questioning may be sufficient for an experienced doctor to make a correct diagnosis. The doctor learns about the history of the disease, clarifies all medications taken, and examines the skin. Usually this information is enough to establish or exclude a diagnosis. If additional information is needed, a general blood test and a throat swab may be performed to check for the presence of streptococcus. In doubtful cases, a skin biopsy is performed.
The spots may disappear on their own within 2-3 weeks. However, specific therapy may be required to relieve symptoms and prevent underlying infection.
Diagnostic methods
The symptoms of the psoriatic triad help make a correct diagnosis. This is a phenomenon characteristic only of psoriasis.
- The doctor carefully scrapes the scales from the spot. The surface is easy to clean, becomes oily and smooth.
- He continues to rub to see a thin transparent film covering the affected area.
- When it is damaged, tiny droplets of blood appear.
To diagnose the disease, the doctor takes scrapings from the affected areas.
To make sure that it is psoriasis, they take a scraping from the scales and examine it under a microscope. The presence of pathogens streptococcus and staphylococcus confirms the drop-shaped shape. Additionally, a throat swab is taken and a general and biochemical blood test is done.
Treatment methods for guttate psoriasis
How to treat guttate psoriasis? There are several ways to combat dry and flaky skin, which is accompanied by swelling and itching:
- Corticosteroid-based cream reduces the inflammatory response and reduces itching;
- Special shampoos nourish and moisturize the scalp;
- Coal tar lotions are effective in combating irritated skin;
- Regular moisturizing creams help;
- Prescription vitamin D and vitamin A supplements may be recommended.
How to treat guttate psoriasis in more severe cases (when more than 10% of the skin is affected)? In such situations, oral medications may be prescribed:
- Corticosteroids.
- Methotrexate.
- Cyclosporine.
Phototherapy is another effective treatment option. For this purpose, special devices for ultraviolet irradiation are used.
Direct sunlight helps effectively combat rashes. Avoid sunbathing; it is recommended to stay in the sun for no more than 20-30 minutes a day.
Prevention
The guttate form of psoriasis occurs due to disturbances in the balancing functions in the body. One should be attentive to both endogenous therapy and external influences. It is necessary to maintain the water-fat metabolism of the skin, that is, after taking baths, the skin must be moisturized and protected from drying out.
Doctors strongly do not recommend injuring the skin; any scratching or scratching can allow new pathogenic bacteria to enter the body. You should also not allow your body to become hypothermic.
Consequences and prevention of guttate psoriasis
Advanced form of guttate psoriasis
Like other forms of psoriasis, the disease has a chronic status and can recur throughout life. When the process is advanced, the rashes become more widespread, and the symptoms lead to significant discomfort.
Note: With timely treatment and compliance with preventive methods of combating exacerbation and limiting triggers, guttate psoriasis goes away within a month and makes itself felt quite rarely.
Stages of pathology development
During psoriasis of any form, including guttate, several stages can be distinguished.
The first stage is called progressive, since it is characterized by the appearance of many fresh small rashes, and existing papules may increase slightly in size. In this case, the rash has a bright pink-red color, peeling of the papules is observed mainly in the center, and along the periphery they are surrounded by a red border. In addition, at this stage, itching is often a concern, and new psoriatic elements appear in large quantities in areas of damaged skin where there are scratches, cracks or small wounds.
The second stage is called stationary. At this stage, new papules no longer appear, and old ones do not increase in size. The color of the rashes changes noticeably, they darken, acquiring a bluish tint. There is a decrease in peeling of the surface of the papules.
Finally, the third, regressive stage begins, when a whitish border appears around the elements of the lesion, the rash gradually disappears and the papules begin to slowly resolve, which is expressed by the disappearance of peeling and pallor. After the rash disappears, areas of hypopigmentation may remain for some time, that is, the skin looks a little paler.
Reviews about the treatment of guttate psoriasis
Review of the treatment of guttate psoriasis
User milannag recommends treating guttate psoriasis comprehensively.
Basic preventive measures to combat psoriasis.
- Prevent dry skin. Use creams more often, as they are considered more effective than lotions. After each water procedure, moisturize the skin with Vaseline-based products;
- Pay attention to nutrition. Avoid junk food: salty, spicy, fried. Enrich your diet with foods containing sufficient amounts of folic acid: oranges and other fruits, beans, asparagus, liver and leafy vegetables are suitable;
- Take fish oil. It contains omega-3 fatty acids, which can counter the body's inflammatory response;
- It is important to be able to cope with stress. Perhaps a change of job will have a beneficial effect on your emotional state. Meditation and other practices will help. In severe cases, you should visit a psychologist.
Treatment of children
Children are susceptible to guttate psoriasis due to sudden climate change, frequent stress, and obesity can be the cause. It is important to give children more fruits and fresh vegetables; special vitamin complexes that support the immune system and strengthen it are also useful.
If you are diagnosed with guttate psoriasis, it is not recommended to carry out treatment on your own; be sure to consult a specialist and undergo treatment under constant supervision. Only a professional doctor will prescribe medications, a set of measures that will cure guttate psoriasis in children and adults, alleviate the condition, prolong remission, and help in case of complications.
Conclusion
Guttate psoriasis differs from other forms of the disease in the unpredictability and suddenness of the rash. Treatment is carried out at home or in a hospital for severe symptoms. Since most often the disease develops with a decrease in immunity against the background of acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections, the residual effects of any infectious processes are first diagnosed and eliminated.
In each specific case, an individual complex treatment regimen is drawn up, the main role in which is given to physiotherapeutic methods - they have shown high effectiveness in guttate psoriasis.
Along with this, drug treatment is carried out: antibiotics, immunomodulators, vitamins, hormonal ointments. The duration and dosage is determined by a specialist based on the diagnostic results.
How is psoriasis diagnosed?
Diagnosing guttate psoriasis is usually not difficult for dermatologists, since the rashes have quite characteristic features.
In addition, the doctor performs the tests described above to determine the presence of signs of the psoriatic triad. If these measures do not allow us to definitively establish the diagnosis of psoriasis, a histological examination of the skin is performed - studying a piece of dermis under a microscope and searching for pathological changes in it corresponding to psoriasis.
Drip psoriasis, as a rule, is not accompanied by damage to the joints or internal organs, however, if symptoms of arthropathy appear (joint pain, aches, impaired range of motion), additional examinations must be performed, for example, ultrasound examination of the joints or MRI.
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Psoriasis (another name is scaly lichen) is a non-infectious disease that manifests itself as rashes on the skin. Guttate psoriasis is one of its most aggressive forms. This type of disease is characterized by skin rashes, usually a round rash or red spots in the form of drops.
Diet
The patient must follow a strict diet, in which fatty meat products, beets, carrots, eggs, canned food, smoked foods, citrus fruits and pineapples should be excluded from the diet. It is also not recommended to consume sweet confectionery, chocolate and nuts.
But the use of lean meat, fish, and various cereals is considered useful. It is best to cook food by steaming. Cottage cheese, cheese and low-fat milk will become irreplaceable sources of calcium. And, of course, a varied complex of vitamins can be obtained from vegetables and fruits.
With this disease, you should not forget about phyto drinks. For example, decoctions of linden, lemon balm or chamomile have sedative (calming) properties. But the patient must avoid strong coffee, black tea and carbonated drinks.
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This article has exclusively educational, encyclopedic and informational functions. It is necessary to obtain the approval of your physician before using the tips and recommendations described in this article. You should not self-medicate!
