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Overview
Psoriasis is a skin disease that comes with physical and psychological symptoms. Medical science is of the belief that psoriasis is brought about by an immune system malfunction that results in the life cycle of skin cells accelerating in certain parts of the body. This makes the skin cells build up and then rise to the skin's surface where they cause red areas and patches topped by flaky and silvery scales. The symptoms of severe psoriasis differ in the various forms of the condition.
Definition of Severe
Severe psoriasis has been defined for years by dermatologists as psoriasis patches that cover 10 percent of a person's body or more. Mild psoriasis, in contrast, involves less than three percent of the body. Severe psoriasis is also categorized by the effects it has on the patient's quality of life. New classifications of the disease in the future may take into account how the patient needs to be treated for his psoriasis.
Plaque Psoriasis
Plaque psoriasis is easily the most frequently seen type of psoriasis. Its symptoms are raised areas of the skin that have loose, silver-white scales on top. In severe instances these patches will be widespread all over the person. Plaque psoriasis can occur anywhere on the human body but it's usually found on the arms, legs, feet, hands and torso. Severe plaque psoriasis can cover a huge percentage of a person's skin area.
Itching
When plaque psoriasis occurs it can precipitate a great deal of itching. When it is severe this presents quite a problem as the areas can make the person scratch. When these regions are scratched and picked at they can develop cracks and bleed. Sometimes they will crust over. Severe psoriasis that crops up in places such as beneath the breast or in the armpits can be especially bothersome.
Nail Problems
Severe psoriasis comes with other symptoms. Problems with the fingernails and with the toenails are common. They can become discolored and pitted, with the potential to crumble away. They can actually separate from the nail bed and sometimes fall off. Another aspect of severe psoriasis is when the patches grow to such a size that they combine with other plaques. These are called geographic plaques because they look like maps once they have grown large enough.
Arthritis
There is a kind of psoriasis called psoriatric arthritis in which an individual's joints become stiff and sore. In severe cases it can affect various joints such as the knees, toes and fingers. Other symptoms of this severe psoriasis include acne and abnormal growth of bone. In extreme cases it is possible for someone with this psoriasis to have their bones worn away. In cases of psoriatric arthritis the red patches will usually be the symptom that appears first, well before the actual arthritis symptoms.
