October 29 is World Psoriasis Day, the day of psoriasis. It was initiated in 2004 by the IFPA, the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations, to raise awareness of this skin disease. Every year, World Psoriasis Day has a specific motto, this year it is "Be Informed". Because only with sufficient and good information can those affected be helped, new treatments discovered and prejudices dispelled.

To live up to this motto, the experts at JUVENIS Vienna would also like to provide information today about psoriasis and the possible treatments. Around 250,000 people in Austria suffer from this skin disease, and around 2% of the population worldwide. It is a hereditary disease that triggers a malfunction of the immune system. As a result, the skin of those affected is renewed around 8 times faster than in healthy people. This excessive activation of the immune cells causes inflammatory factors to be released, resulting in scaly, reddened and sharply demarcated areas of skin. As these are also accompanied by severe itching, the level of suffering for patients is particularly high.

Recognize and avoid psoriasis triggers

Even if psoriasis is hereditary, there are some factors that promote the onset of the disease. These include stress, nicotine and alcohol, skin irritation, hormonal changes (e.g. during pregnancy, puberty or the menopause) and various medications (e.g. for rheumatism or high blood pressure). In addition, those affected should not shower or bathe too hot, pay attention to skin-friendly products and nutrition and apply cream daily.

World Psoriasis Day: What treatments are available today?

To mark World Psoriasis Day, we would like to give you an overview of the possible treatments for psoriasis. In the first step, topical treatments in the form of ointments and creams containing urea and cortisone or vitamin D preparations are usually used. If these topical therapies no longer help, UV radiation is used. As these light therapies have an immunomodulating effect, they slow down the unusually rapid cell division of the skin. However, if the psoriasis is moderate to severe, systemic medication such as retinoids, methotrexate, ciclosporin A, fumaric acid or apremilast are used in the next step. Biologics are another systemic treatment option. They are injected under the skin or administered intravenously. These are biotechnologically produced drugs that can stop inflammatory processes and significantly reduce symptoms.

Award-winning psoriasis specialists at JUVENIS

Prof. Dr. Tamara Kopp and Dr. Christine Bangert from JUVENIS Vienna have also been working on these biologics. In a clinical study, they have shown that the targeted blockade of a specific messenger substance can improve the skin symptoms of psoriasis. Dr. Kopp was awarded the Heinrich Auspitz Prize for this research and is therefore considered a psoriasis expert.