3% of Venezuelans suffer from Psoriasis
- Sep 12, 2014
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 16
Television Interview - YouTube [09:07]
Topic: Psoriasis Title: 3% of Venezuelans suffer from psoriasis
Globovision Health News
September, 2014
* Click on the image to see the full interview.
At one of the World Health Assemblies, members of the United Nations recognized psoriasis as a disfiguring and debilitating chronic non-communicable disease; they also acknowledged that people with this disease suffer because they are sometimes rejected by others. To discuss this topic of psoriasis, we have with us Dr. Denise Mago, a dermatologist. Thank you for joining us this afternoon. 1) Doctor, I wanted to begin our interview by asking you, what is psoriasis, and why is it a disease that generates so much prejudice in society?
Dr. Denise Mago: "Psoriasis is a chronic disease characterized by reddish plaques covered with silvery scales, located primarily on the extensor surfaces of the arms and legs, as well as the elbows and knees. It can also appear on the scalp and even the nails.
This disease, being so visible, affects patients' lives because many people believe it is contagious, and they even have trouble finding jobs, having relationship problems with partners, and even with their own families. This is one of the major causes of the disease".
2) Since it is not contagious, what is its origin? Dr. Denise Mago: "The disease has an immunological and genetic origin, but that doesn't mean it is hereditary. The patient has a component at the DNA level that predisposes them to developing the disease, and depending on external factors, they will develop it or not."
3) Doctor, what do these lesions look like? What color are they? Are they rough? What are their characteristics? Dr. Denise Mago: "Well, they're plaques that sometimes merge, right? There are others that are teardrop-shaped. The main characteristic is that they're red areas where the skin is thickened. Some plaques are covered with silvery or whitish scales, and if you gently scrape the skin, you'll find erythematous and hemorrhagic patches, as if the skin were breaking down beneath these layers of scales.” 4) What are the symptoms, doctor?
Dr. Denise Mago: "Well, the symptoms are the ones I already mentioned, and they accompany them."
5) But aside from the lesions, do people experience any other symptoms?
Dr. Denise Mago: "No, although psoriasis has evolved and is now recognized as a metabolic disease. This means that many patients also have obesity, diabetes, and problems with triglycerides and cholesterol."
6) What is its incidence? Do you have figures for our country or the world?
Dr. Denise Mago: "3% of the population suffers from this disease."
7) Whom does it affect most? Does it affect women, men, or both equally?
Dr. Denise Mago: "Practically both equally.” 8) Doctor, we wanted to know: when do they appear, and on what parts of the body can they appear?
Dr. Denise Mago: "Well, they can appear at any age, most frequently in adults. In children, it's more common after age 10, with an incidence of around 14%. The most frequent locations are those I mentioned before: elbows, knees, flexural areas, and also the scalp and nails."
9) I'd like to talk again about the origin of this disease. In addition to genetic factors, there are also other external factors. For example, can stress cause psoriasis?
Dr. Denise Mago: "It can cause psoriasis if the person already has a genetic predisposition; otherwise, no. There are also other factors, such as trauma. A person can fall and, instead of recovering, develop psoriasis. In children, it has been observed that strep throat infections can lead to psoriasis". 10) Which specialist should people with the symptoms you mentioned consult?
Dr. Denise Mago: "These lesions should definitely be evaluated by a dermatologist". 11) Could they also consult a psychologist? A psychologist, because of the risk of rejection.
Dr. Denise Mago: "Yes, a psychologist, but the psychologist would be part of the healthcare team. Furthermore, it's necessary to improve the patient's condition from a medical standpoint, since without other types of therapeutic support, I don't think much can be achieved from a purely psychological perspective".
12) Is it dangerous? Could it be related to other health risks?
Dr. Denise Mago: "Yes, as I mentioned, the risks include the development of metabolic diseases, type 2 diabetes, even heart problems, hypertension, and high cholesterol". 13) Is it a curable disease?
Dr. Denise Mago: “Psoriasis isn't truly curable because, as I mentioned, it's an immunological and genetic disease. However, there are currently treatments that prevent the patient from experiencing any symptoms of the disease, meaning they don't have lesions. And without lesions, the patient can be considered cured, in a sense, but that's the important thing.” 14) How long can these lesions disappear, for example?
Dr. Denise Mago: “Today, they can disappear permanently.”
15) What does this treatment involve?
Dr. Denise Mago: “Look, there are different types of treatments depending on the patient. Some patients have mild psoriasis, and those patients are treated with topical treatments only. Patients with moderate psoriasis are treated with both topical and systemic treatments, and patients with severe disease covering more than 70% of their body surface are treated with systemic medications. These systemic medications are a new alternative that really gives excellent results.”
16) Are these treatments truly effective? I ask because people sometimes don't know they have this disease, and well, they resort to home remedies, old wives' tales, and creams. Are these effective, or do they really help?
Dr. Denise Mago: “Of course, they are truly effective as long as the patient has a large affected area of their body surface, because this isn't a medication to give to just any patient with mild psoriasis. And as for home remedies, it's undoubtedly a disease that has existed for a very long time, a time when patients had no effective treatment, and obviously, the only thing available were these home remedies, but at this point in history, they don't produce any results.”
17) Your latest recommendations, for example, are that people with psoriasis can bathe with hot water, use soap on the lesions, exfoliants, and brushes. How should they dry themselves? Can they go to the beach? Can they swim in the sea, for example?
Dr. Denise Mago: “Let’s start with the last point. Patients can go to the beach; the sun is very beneficial for them, with sunscreen, of course, because their skin is very sensitive. Seawater therapy is very good for them. In fact, it was the preferred treatment for patients a long time ago.
And regarding the other point, I think there are products called “sinde,” which means detergent-free. Patients can bathe with these products, then rinse off with their hands so the skin remains damp, which increases the penetration of emollient creams. This would greatly improve the itching, because the itching is more due to dry skin than the disease itself.”
18) Can they bathe with hot water?
Dr. Denise Mago: “Warm or cold water would be preferable. Why not hot water? Not because it will worsen the disease, but because of the irritating effect it has on the lesions.”
We thank dermatologist Denise Mago for her recommendations.
