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LEARN HOW TO MAKE OUR TYPE LARGER

Living with psoriasis
Published May/June 2001

Mirror Guy

(NAPS) - For many of the seven million psoriasis sufferers, the condition is far more serious than most people think, one that takes an emotional as well as physical toll. Sufferers often feel like outcasts, extremely self-conscious of their sometimes highly visible symptoms. Only congestive heart failure is more debilitating than psoriasis in its detrimental physical effects on quality of life, says a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Adding to the problem is that many people with psoriasis go undiagnosed for years, suffering the embarrassing and sometimes painful and disfiguring symptoms thinking "it's just dry skin" and that there's nothing they can do about it.

People who see dermatologists experienced in treating psoriasis, however, are often able to regain some freedom from the physical and emotional pain of the disease. There's no one treatment, but dermatologists have many tools to work one-on-one with psoriasis patients. Researchers say similarities between psoriasis and other immune disorders may provide the key to a cure.

For free information about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and their treatment options, call the National Psoriasis Foundation, an independent, nonprofit organization, at 800-723-9166 or visit www.psoriasis.org

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