Psoriasis should not be taken lightly as a skin problem, as lack of proper treatment can lead to complications, including heart attack, dermatologists said yesterday, to mark World Psoriasis Day.
Taiwanese Dermatological Association director-general and a dermatologist at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Linkou, Yang Chih-Hsun (楊志勛), said that there are about 110,000 people with psoriasis nationwide, but many did not know that psoriasis is an autoimmune disease.
Huang Yu-huei (黃毓惠), who is the association deputy secretary-general and dermatologist at the same hospital, said that some psoriasis patients have higher risks of developing complications.
Because patients’ bodies are often in an inflammatory state, their risks of developing metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases are higher, and National Health Insurance data showed that they have 2.1 times the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, she said.
Tsai Tsen-fang (蔡呈芳), a dermatologist at the National Taiwan University Hospital, said that the rate of heart attacks in psoriasis patients is about 110 percent higher than healthy people.
The cause of psoriasis is unknown and appears to be inherited, but outside stimulants can trigger an immune response, causing quick skin cell growth, rapid skin peeling and inflammation, he said.
He added that infection, injury, certain foods and drugs, changes in weather, sunlight, smoking, alcohol consumption, mood swings and stress could all trigger a psoriasis outbreak.
The association and the Psoriasis Association Taiwan are set to hold a public brisk walking event at Taipei City’s Gongguan Riverside Plaza (公館水岸廣場) and Guting Riverside Park (古亭河濱公園) on Sunday at 8am to raise public awareness.
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