Psoriasis - what do all those words mean?
Antibodies:
Special proteins, produced by the body's immune system, that help fight
and destroy viruses, bacteria, and other foreign substances that invade
the body.
Autoantibodies:
Abnormal antibodies produced against the body's own tissues.
Autoimmune disease:
A disease in which the immune system destroys or attacks a person's own
tissues.
Cytokines:
Chemical messengers in the body that help direct and regulate response
and are involved in cell-to-cell communication.
Dermis:
The layer of skin beneath the epidermis.
Emollient:
A substance composed of fat or oil that soothes and softens the skin.
Epidermis:
The outermost layer of skin.
Erythrodermic psoriasis:
A form of psoriasis characterized by widespread reddening and scaling of
the skin often accompanied by itching or pain. Symptoms may be precipitated
by severe sunburn, use of oral steroids, or a drug-related rash.
Gene:
A unit of inheritance that contains the instructions, or code, that a cell
uses to make a specific product, usually a protein. Genes are made of a
substance called DNA. They govern every body function and determine inherited
traits passed from parent to child.
Genetics:
The science of understanding how diseases, conditions, and traits are inherited.
Guttate psoriasis:
A form of psoriasis characterized by drop-like lesions on the trunk, limbs,
and scalp. Symptoms may be triggered by viral respiratory infections or
certain bacterial (streptococcal) infections.
Histologic examination:
The study of a tissue specimen by staining it and examining it under a
microscope.
Inflammation:
A characteristic reaction of tissues to injury or disease. It is marked
by four signs: swelling, redness, heat, and pain.
Immune response:
The reactions of the immune system to foreign substances.
Immune system:
A complex network of specialized cells and organs that work together to
defend the body against attacks by foreign substances, such as bacteria
and viruses.
Inverse psoriasis:
A form of psoriasis characterized by large, dry, smooth, vividly red plaques
in the folds of skin.
Keratolytic:
A substance that promotes the softening and peeling of the epidermis.
Phototherapy:
Use of natural or artificial light to treat a disease.
Plaques:
Patches of thickened and reddened skin that are covered by silvery scales.
Psoriasis:
A chronic (long-lasting) skin disease characterized by scaling and inflammation.
Scaling occurs when cells in the outer layer of skin reproduce faster than
normal and pile up on the skin's surface. Possibly a disorder of the immune
system.
Psoriasis vulgaris:
The most common form of psoriasis, characterized by reddened lesions covered
by silvery scales.
Psoriatic arthritis:
Joint inflammation that occurs in about 10 percent of people with psoriasis.
PUVA:
A treatment sometimes used for extensive or severe psoriasis that combines
oral or topical administration of a medicine called psoralen with exposure
to ultraviolet A (UVA) light.
Systemic treatment:
A treatment, such as a pill, that is taken internally.
Topical agent:
A treatment, such as a cream, salve, or ointment, that is applied to the
surface of the skin.
Toxicity:
The potential of a drug or treatment to cause harmful side effects.
T cell:
A type of white blood cell that is part of the immune system and normally
helps protect the body against infection and disease. In psoriasis, it
also can trigger inflammation and excessive skin cell reproduction.
UVB phototherapy:
An artificial light treatment used for mild psoriasis.
