Psoriatic essays

Psoriatic essays The term arthritis comes from the Greeks meaning inflammation of the joint, and is normally a reaction to injury or disease resulting in swelling, pain, and stiffness (Serot). Several million Americans experience this pain and the many restrictions arthritis confines them to daily. Though perceived otherwise, arthritis is not a single condition, yet a combination of 150 different types of arthritis, all of which affect one or more joints in the body, some without inflammation (MayoClinic, 2004). Psoriatic arthritis makes up one very significant part of this arthritis classification. Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease of scaling and inflammation affecting 2-3% percent of the United States population. It occurs when skin cells quickly rise from their origin below the surface of the skin and pile up on the surface before they have a chance to mature. Usually this movement, often called turnover, takes nearly a month, but with psoriasis it may occur only in a few days, mostly showing up on elbows, knees, parts of the leg, face, scalp, lower back, palms, and the soles of feet. It results in patches of thick, red skin covered in silvery scales, otherwise called plaques, usually feeling sore or itchy (Shiel, 2004). Both arthritis and psoriasis, two painful and limiting conditions, combine to create psoriatic arthritis. Out of the approximately six million Americans struggling through the agony of psoriasis, one million of these are additionally coping with psoriatic arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis is a skin condition marked by a rapid buildup of rough, dry, dead skin cells that form thick scales. Arthritis causes pain and stiffness in your joints, two autoimmune problems, or disorders that occur when your bodys immune system, which normally fights harmful organisms such as viruses and bacteria, begins to attack healthy cells and tissues. The abnormal immune response causes inflammation in joints as well as...