Psoriasis

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Psoriasis on the knuckles

Overview Symptoms Treatment Prevention

Psoriasis

• Skin patches
  • Dry or red
  • Usually covered with silvery scales
  • Raised patches of skin
  • Accompanied by red borders
  • May crack and become painful
  • Usually discrete, demarcated patches
  • Usually located on the elbows, knees, trunk, scalp, hands or nails
• Skin lesions, including pustules, cracking of skin, skin redness or inflammation
• Itching
• Small scaling dots on the skin (especially in children)
• Joint pain or aching, which may be associated with a special type of arthritis (psoriatic arthritis)

• Nail abnormalities
• Genital lesions in males
• Eye burning, itching, and discharge
• Increased tearing

The diagnosis is usually based on the appearance of the skin.

• A skin biopsy, or scraping and culture of skin patches, may be needed to rule out other disorders.
• An x-ray may be used to check for psoriatic arthritis if joint pain is present and persistent.

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