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The best word to describe psoriasis’ long history could be this: confusion. From the first referenced instance in 300 B.C. until 1841, psoriasis was incorrectly categorized as leprosy and treated with flawed concoctions like tar, arsenic, and boiled viper broth. Thanks to the hard work of scientific and medical professionals, the understanding and treatment of psoriasis has advanced quite a bit over the past 3,500 years.
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease, which is when a person’s immune system responds abnormally. In the case of psoriasis, the body attacks its own tissues, causing red, raised, scaly patches on the skin that may burn, itch, and sting, among other symptoms. Psoriasis can make daily life uncomfortable and certain activities challenging for the 125 million people worldwide who have it.
Though psoriasis research has come a long way, we still have progress to make. For example, total control of psoriasis on someone’s body—what’s referred to as “skin clearance”—has not yet been achieved. What’s more, as many as 30% of patients with moderate psoriasis and about 20% of patients with severe psoriasis in the U.S. areundertreated, and almost 30% are not treated at all. People with untreated psoriasis have a higher risk for developing related conditions.
In honor of Psoriasis Awareness Month, we’ve created an interactive timeline on The History of Psoriasis Research.
Patients have been and will continue to be critical to the advancement of psoriasis research. The psoriasis treatments we have today were made possible by patients who generously participated in clinical trials. But with social media and other tools, we now have an opportunity to extend patient involvement beyond participation and into partnership. As more patient-centric clinical trials evolve, we look forward to having patients drive future milestones in psoriasis research.
