Wednesday, April 7, 2010 as of 11:14 AM ET
Psoriasis () is an autoimmune disease that appears on the skin. It occurs when the immune system mistakes the skin cells as a pathogen, and sends out faulty signals that speed up the growth cycle of skin cells.
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Psoriasis affects up to 7.
5 million Americans, making it the most prevalent autoimmune disease in the country, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation . An autoimmune disease means the immune system is functioning abnormally by attacking the body it is normally meant to protect. In the case of psoriasis, the immune system dysfunction affects skin cell growth, resulting in chronic, visible inflammation. Psoriasis is a non-contagious disease that typically first occurs between the ages of 15 and 35. Here is a guide to understanding psoriasis:Overview The human body is constantly losing and replacing skin cells. Newly produced cells grow at the bottom layer of the skin, and they take around one month to develop and rise to the skin's surface. The abnormally aggravated immune system causes this skin production to enter overdrive, and skin cells are produced and move to the surface in one to two weeks. This excess skin begins to accumulate, forming the visible scales and inflammation...The skin condition psoriasis may increase the risk of stroke and atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the heart beats irregularly, a new Danish study says.In so...
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Results from a large U.S. study suggest women who regularly exercise vigorously, including runners and aerobics buffs, may be less likely to get psoriasis than less-...
Novartis said its drug AIN457 helped alleviate the symptoms of people suffering from moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis , the Swiss firm said on Monday based on the...
First it was beer, then it was cigarettes. Finally, researchers have found a vice that's not tied to psoriasis : coffee.In fact, when Dr. Abrar Qureshi and his team ...
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A new, highly effective class of psoriasis drugs did not appear to raise the risk of heart problems in a review of published studies, but the analysis may not have b...
People who suffer from psoriasis may want to pay extra attention to heart risks, since they may be at a greater risk for blocked arteries than those who don't have t...
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