Home About World Psoriasis Day World Psoriasis Day 2012 About Psoriasis IFPA Members Activities Contact About Psoriasis Psoriatic Arthritis Facts About Psoriasis Treatment Facts About Psoriasis Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease. Psoriasis affects nearly 3 percent of the world's population. It is not contagious. It can't be spread from one person to another.  It affects both females and males of all ages, genders, races and ethnicities. There is no personality type associated with having psoriasis. People who get psoriasis exhibit a wide range of symptoms that vary in severity.  Psoriasis may be physically painful. Inflamed lesions can crack open and bleed. Itching may be a constant problem. Or, psoriasis may not be painful or debilitating at all.  There are various treatments to manage the symptoms, but no one treatment is effective for everyone.  Although there are many treatments for psoriasis, many people still face a poor quality of life because treatments often don't work, are very expensive or may cause serious side effects.  Psoriasis goes through cycles: sometimes better, at other times worse. A form of arthritis, called psoriatic arthritis, affects 30 to 50 percent of the people who have psoriasis.  There is no cure for psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis.  People may have very strong emotional reactions to having psoriasis, such as embarrassment, anger or sadness.  Sometimes people who have psoriasis are ridiculed or avoided by others because of their psoriasis. Educating people about psoriasis can help manage this aspect of the disease.  People need support to help them cope with living with psoriasis.  It is important that people who have psoriasis learn as much as possible about their skin disorder and understand that it is a medical problem. Help to get rid of myths about psoriasis by educating the public with facts about the skin disorder.   Supported by Contact: IFPA Secretariat / Box 5173 / SE-121 18 Johanneshov / SWEDEN ● E-mail: IFPA Secretariat / Phone: +46 8 556 109 14 / Fax: +46 8 556 109 19

Provided by Webforum