History Of Psoriasis

Probably one of the longest known illnesses of humans is Psoriasis. Psoriasis became the ugliest disease for every human that they experience. Either you are king, members of the royal family, a politician, a businessman or such an ordinary individual you are not safe in psoriasis. Scholars believe that the tzaraat disease mention in the Bible is likely the same with psoriasis. It was first introduced by Hippocrates (Greek Physician between 460 and 377 BC) but no formal introduction that time until in the first century that Cornelius Celsus (Roman author) described it as a condition that caused by staphylococcus pyogenes of red patches with watery blisters on the skin.

During the time of Hippocrates, a psoriasis disease had different names such as lepra, psora, alphos and leichen. And Psoriasis became part of the medicinal literature after Joseph Jacob Plenck of Vienna in 1776 as scaly or scale like diseases. Plenck doesn’t compared the Psoriasis from other skin diseases discovered until Robert Willan (1757-1812), an English dermatologist together with Thomas Bateman recognized this disease as an independent. They divided it into two categories: (1) Leprosa Graecorum, as the condition when the skin had scales; and (2) Psora Leprosa, as the condition when it became eruptive.

In 1841, Ferdinand von Hebra (Viennese dermatologist) as he was working with Willan’s notes, he ascribed the name “psoriasis” from the Greek word “psora” or “to itch” in the English dictionary, he’s also the one who described the clinical picture of psoriasis that our dermatologist are using today.

Until in the 20th century differentiated into more specific types such as plaque psoriasis, guttate psoriasis, pustular psoriasis, inverse psoriasis, erythrodermic psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, seborrheic psoriasis, nail psoriasis, and scalp psoriasis.

Psoriasis is an unrelieved constant condition. Psoriasis varies in harshness established among adults. Psoriasis can sort from being an annoyance to a devastating skin chaos, predominantly when it’s connected with arthritis.

There are different types of treatments recorded in the history to eliminate psoriasis from our skin for over 100 years.

For more than a century ago, the first aid treatments for the psoriasis were the dithranol, coal tar, salicyclic acid, sunlight (six to ten in the morning), Dead Sea salts and emollients. In 1920’s, they found that ultraviolet light will make a great help. They discovered topical and oral steroids in 1950’s. While in 1960’s they discovered hydroxyurea. PUVA (psoralen plus UVA) treated in the 1970’s while methotrexate in the 80’s. A topical vitamin D3 as well as retinoids and cyclosporine help psoriasis patients in 1990’s. And for this century, more technological treatments discovered such as biological treatments and laser treatments.

In the late 20th century it was understandable by a really gigantic approach to the predicament of psoriasis. Around the world there have been published more than 10,000 pieces, faithful to psoriatic dermatosis which makes it one of the most examined in the last decade. On the other hand, not any of the potential or the theories shows an absolute core the infection, and the similar harms of cure and precautionary safeguarding stands in the face of the modern dermatologists as vibrant as it did in the last centuries.

Today many Scientists and medical institutions compact with the examination of the root of psoriasis. In the United States they formed an international association for the studies of psoriasis with 35 different countries worldwide in Stanford University as their headquarters. They publish an American Journal of Psoriasis.

Then, every five years there is an specialized World Congress for the difficulty of psoriasis. Every 29th of October is the World Psoriasis Day to help the psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patients around the globe.