The glow on her face is alluring. Her skin sparkles as white as the keys on the grand piano in the centre of a room. Her smile is even more enchanting.
However, the rest of her skin below the neck tells a different story.
The thick, well-demarcated, red plaques with a silvery scale have taken over her stomach, back, legs and hands. She religiously wears long-sleeved blouses and is comfortable in trousers to conceal the blemishes and beak-outs from psoriasis.
The itchy skin can be painful and embarrassing. But she chooses to smile through it all.
Last September, Esther found hope. She joined a group that shares in her journey with the dilapidating skin condition. She shares her daily struggles and hopes to change the world’s perception on psoriasis. She is one of the ambassadors of change spreading the powerful messages through the Psoriasis Association of Kenya that spreads the word that psoriasis can be well managed, and is not contagious..
What is psoriasis? (pronounced so-ra-ya-sis)
Skin specialist Evanson Kamuri describes psoriasis as a life-long condition that can be painful and disfiguring if not diagnosed early enough and managed properly. It also runs in families.
According to Dr Kamuri, the skin cells in people with psoriasis grow at an abnormally fast rate, causing the buildup of a dry scaly-like appearance.
“Normal skin cell matures and is shed from the body in 28 to 30 days but in a psoriasis patient, in only three to four days, the skin cells are mature and instead of falling off, they form a mass on the surface of the skin,’ said Dr Kamuri who is a dermatologist at Kenyatta National Hospital.
Signs and symptoms
“Psoriasis is a skin-condition with a powderly appearance that causes physical, social and emotional distress. It has no clear cause and has no cure. It affects both men and women at any age,” said Dr Kamuri.
Dr Kamuri estimates that 800,000 people in Kenya suffer from psoriasis but fewer have been diagnosed and even fewer are on appropriate treatment for the condition.
‘Itching, bleeding from the cracked skin, swelling and formation of scales on the skin are some of the most common symptoms associated with psoriasis,” Dr Kamuri observed adding that it can be mild, moderate or severe with severity managed by covering the body’s surface area.
Former CCN anchor Zain Verjee described a day in her life, living with psoriasis, below.
“My scalp spits out silver flakes. My ears are filled with crusts. I leave white specks wherever I sit. I float in long, loose clothes. My hands betray me. The sores sit openly. My nails are dented with pockmarks. I find strands of hair on the sheets and pillowcases every morning,” Zain said in an article on CNN.
In January this year, Kim Kardashian West, a TV star and entrepreneur went online and asked for recommendations to deal with psoriasis.
The cause of psoriasis is not fully understood though it is highly associated with the over-production skin cells that build up rapidly on the surface of the skin causing the scaly-like appearance.
Dr Kamuri further noted that the society’s negative reaction to psoriasis can lead to stigma and discrimination hence the urgent need to understand that the skin condition is manageable and cannot be passed on from one person to another.
“Poor self-image, anxiety that could build into depression and further harbor suicidal feelings, are emotional complications of psoriasis if left untreated,” Dr Kamuri said.
According to the World Health Organisation, psoriasis can be provoked by external and internal triggers like mild trauma, sunburn, infections, systemic drugs and stress.
“Treatment aims at controlling the symptoms so that the person can carry on with a normal life,” Dr Kamuri said. This can be done through creams, oral medicines and light therapy, he added.
Four years ago in May, the Sixty-seventh World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) passed a resolution to recognize the burden of psoriasis and committed to increase their efforts to fight the stigma and unnecessary exclusion of people living with psoriasis.
The global health body noted that too many people globally with psoriasis are affected by incorrect or delayed diagnosis, inadequate treatment options and insufficient access to care hence the need to increase awareness on the skin condition.
Dr Kamuri warns that a person with psoriasis is at a higher risk to get other Non-Communicable Diseases like diabetes and heart conditions hence emphasizes on optimal management of Psoriasis.
Types of Psoriasis
Nail Psoriasis
It affects the fingernails and toenails causing abnormal growth and discoloration. In some cases, the nail may fall off.
Plaque Psoriasis
It is the most common form of psoriasis causing a dry and silvery look of the skin. They affected patches can be on any part of the painful and they can get painful.
Guttate Psoriasis
It affects children and young adults and it affects the upper arms, thighs, the scalp and the trunk.
Pustular Psoriasis
This form of psoriasis is common among adults and affects the palms of your hands, the soles of your feet and your fingers and toes.
Inverse psoriasis
This mainly affects the skin in the armpits, in the groin, under the breasts and around the genitals.
Psoriatic arthritis
It causes swollen, painful joints that are typical of arthritis.
Erythrodermic psoriasis
It is an aggressive form of psoriasis that causes an intense itch or burn and it spreads quickly. .It can cover the entire body.
The following risk factors can pre-dispose you to psoriasis include
- Stress
- Family History
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Viral and bacterial infections
Treating the whole person
Besides the treatment given to the patients, Dr Kamuri says that the community also needs healing.
“We need to hold and love persons with psoriasis. Let us walk with them. We also need an extensive public health campaign that increases awareness on psoriasis so we can reduce the shame and stigma that comes with thus disease,” Dr Kamuri concluded.
Where to get help
- Psoriasis Association of Kenya
- E-mail: info@psoriasiskenya.org
- Dr E.N Kamuri Kenyatta National Hospital Doctor’s Plaza Suite No. 23
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