Skin Disease

Between 5.8 million and 7.5 million people live with the skin disease psoriasis, yet almost half with moderate to severe cases are not getting treatment and others are receiving out-of-date treatment. Why? Because the condition is still widely misunderstood—people who live with it can be subject to prejudice and discrimination—and treatments have not been very good until now.

“Just a few years ago, we didnt have such great options,” says Steven Feldman, MD, PhD, professor of dermatology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC. “Thats changed! Treatments are now more effective, safer, and easier to use than ever.”

Psoriasis is an often painful and itchy chronic skin condition that produces red, inflamed patches on the skin. The patches, which are not contagious, are usually covered with a white buildup of dead skin cells. Scientists are not sure what causes it, but they do know that psoriasis involves a genetic dysfunction that triggers an inappropriate immune response, leading to the rapid production of new skin cells.

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There are five types of psoriasis: plaque (the most common form), guttate, inverse, pustular, and erythrodermic. Psoriasis can appear anywhere on the body and up to 30% of people with psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis, a painful condition in which joints are inflamed and stiff.

“Psoriasis is largely an inherited condition, but it involves multiple genes and possibly some environmental factors to bring the disease on,” says Dr. Feldman. Common triggers include stress; skin trauma, such as sunburn or wounds; some medications, including antimalarial drugs; and, in the case of guttate psoriasis, strep infection.

Physical Activity

shows that people who spend less time sitting and more time physically active have a lower risk for chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, breast cancer, colon cancer and others.
Even just standing more and sitting less appears to make a difference to health and quality of life, say Sara Rosenkranz and Richard Rosenkranz, both assistant professors of human nutrition, who led the study.
Prof. Richard Rosenkranz says:
"Not only do people need to be more physically active by walking or doing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, but they should also be looking at ways to reduce their sitting time."

Breaking up long periods of sitting, by exercising or simply standing, promotes better health and 'successful aging.'
Image credit: Kansas State University

The researchers had already shown in earlier work that the more people sit, the greater their chances of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and premature death.
For their new study, reported in the journal BMC Public Health, the Rosenkranzes and colleagues wanted to take a positive approach and find out to what extent increasing physical activity might benefit health and quality of life.