Chapter 1 – Introduction and Overview

Any time someone gets a scratch or infection, their immune system reacts with inflammation, attacking the unwanted cells as a part of the healing process.  Typically there will be a small red area around a scratch indicating that the immune system is working properly.  This is a result of more blood and immune cells being sent to the area, and the inflammation goes away once the area has healed.  

Unfortunately, sometimes the immune system starts attacking the cells of the skin, and this results in psoriasis.  No doctor really knows why the immune system starts attacking skin cells from the inside of the body, but it is a chronic disorder that lasts for a variable amount of time.  
Sometimes symptoms of psoriasis disappear after a few months and do not return for years, but for other patients the symptoms are long term and persistent.

The inflammatory cells on the inside cause the skin to get red, scaly, and thick, and result in distinct plaques over parts of the skin’s surface.  These patches often occur on elbows, arms, legs, the trunk, or the scalp.   The most common areas for these patches are around the knees and elbows.  However, this inflamed red skin covered with silvery scales may show up on skin anywhere on the body.  

The most typical manifestations of psoriasis are circular or oval shaped patches that itch or burn, and are covered with silvery scales.  Patches will often appear symmetrically, and occur in the same place on both sides of the body. These patches vary in size from coin size to more than five inches across.   The inflammation may typically last for weeks or months, and then disappear until something triggers the next occurrence.  

The current explanation for psoriasis as an immune reaction has been supported by research that indicates it might be a disorder of the immune system, such as some forms of arthritis.  Psoriasis is definitely not contagious, but it is possible that it can be inherited.  Almost two percent of the people in America have the common form known as plaque psoriasis, which are about 5.5 million people.  

Both children and adults can be affected, with equal numbers of men and women being affected.  It is true that women tend to get plaque psoriasis earlier than men do.   Though people can develop psoriasis at any age, more new cases develop in people between sixteen and twenty-two years old, or people between fifty-seven and sixty years old.  Though psoriasis is not restricted to any particular race, studies show that it affects more people of western European or Scandinavian ancestry than those of other races.

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