Plaque Psoriasis Definition

Even though doctors define this very common form of psoriasis as plaque psoriasis, in truth it’s just plain old psoriasis that has for some reason been given a special name.

Maybe one of the reasons it got its own name is that for a long time this condition was thought to be related to leprosy. Psoriasis that affects the scalp is called scalp psoriasis and other forms of psoriasis are also given different names depending on the part of body that is affected.

Psoriasis which affects the scalp will of course look different to psoriasis that affects the knees and elbows. It’s probably that psoriasis that affects a person’s knees and elbows is very visible and so seen to be more common, so the name plaque psoriasis was given to it.

Most plaque psoriasis patches are found in the arms and legs as well as on the trunk, but knees and elbows are most commonly affected. The good news is that plaque psoriasis is not a contagious disease though it can be passed on through the genes.

Other factors that can cause plaque psoriasis include smoking and over-exposure to sunlight as well as alcoholism. Even HIV infections can lead to this form of psoriasis. Surprisingly plaque psoriasis is only thought to affect one to two percent of Americans and worldwide, but that’s still about five and a half million people.

Plaque psoriasis can affect children as well as adults, and men and women are equally affected by this disease. Females however do tend to develop plaque psoriasis earlier than men. Other than that plaque psoriasis usually develops in people aged between sixteen and twenty-two and if not then it’s also common to find it occurring in people between fifty-seven and seventy years.

Chronic plaque psoriasis is generally diagnosed clinically, though it can also be diagnosed through biopsy. Plaque psoriasis also affects people of every race, although there is evidence to suggest that people living in Scandinavia as well as in the Western European countries are more prone to developing this condition as compared to people in other parts of the world.