What Is Pustular Psoriasis And How Is It Treated?

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Psoriasis is considered to be an autoimmune disease. It means that the immune system of a person who is supposed to be fighting infection turned out to trigger the inflammatory processes of the integumentary system abnormally. White blood cells are a major part of body’s defense against infectious agents.

In psoriasis, a particular type of white blood cells called T-cells is activated even without a presence of an infectious agent. It wrongly attacks the skin and stimulates inflammation and causes skin cells to grow at a high speed and pile up as raised patches at the surface of the skin. Pustular psoriasis is a rare form of psoriasis.

It is characterized by raised bumps with presence of pus or pustules. Pus is a white to yellowish fluid which consists of accumulated white blood cells, liquefied tissue, and cellular debris. The skin beneath the affected areas with raised bumps filled with pustules is generally reddish in appearance.

Although the exact cause of pustular psoriasis is unknown, it has been associated with many precipitating factors. Sudden or abrupt discontinuance of systemic steroid medications has been linked to a faulty and weakened immune system.

Other factors that contribute to the development of the disease are use of strong and irritating topical creams or ointments such as tar, extreme phototherapy, hypocalcemia or decreased calcium blood levels, and intake of various drugs such as aspirin, iodine, lithium, penicillin, chloroquine and chemotherapeutic drugs.

People with this type of psoriasis may experience symptoms like headache, fever and chills, joint pain, restlessness, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and skin discomfort. Their skin are painful, red, scaly, and with clusters of pustules.

If one has experienced these symptoms, he or she must consult a medical doctor. The physician may perform series of blood tests including complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, blood serum chemistry, and blood culture. Laboratory values may yield results indicating the presence of leukocytosis and inflammation.

Once diagnosis of pustular psoriasis is made, a treatment plan may include topical therapy, phototherapy, and systemic medications. The usual topical medications used to treat this illness are corticosteroids, derivatives of vitamin D-3, coal tar, and retinoids.

As we all know, corticosteroids are being applied to reduce inflammation. Vitamin D derivatives, on the other hand, are used to slow or halt the production of excessive skin cells.

Coal tar is primarily used to relieve itching or pruritus.

Topical retinoids are used to diminish the size of the raised patches and the redness of the skin. In phototherapy, ultraviolet or UV lights are used to slow down the abnormally high production of skin cells. UV lights also reduce the inflammation of the skin. One of the most frequently used systemic drugs for this psoriasis is psoralen.

It is used in combination with phototherapy because the action of this drug is to make the skin sensitive to ultraviolet lights, making the absorption of UV lights to be high.

Another drug, called etanercept, is given in parenteral route or injection to reduce inflammation. Methotrexate, Cyclosporine, and Alefacept are immunosuppressant drugs that are used to control the hyperactive state of the immune process of a person with psoriasis.

Revitol Dermasis psoriasis cream is yet another alternative solution.

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