Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory condition with a relapsing and remitting course. It has a complex aetiology, involving genetic, environmental and immunological components. Psoriasis has important associations with arthritis and cardiovascular disease, therefore a comprehensive understanding of the condition is important for all GPs. Psycho-social wellbeing is also commonly affected. A wide variety of topical treatments for psoriasis can be initiated in primary care, alongside assessment and treatment of conditions associated with the disease. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory condition with immune and genetic involvement; it affects over 125 000 000 people across the world and both genders equally (Greb et al., 2016). In the UK, over 2.8 of the population is affected, and the prevalence is slowly increasing (Springate et al., 2017). Environmental factors associated with the onset and course of the disease include: smoking, infection, stress, alcohol intake, medications, diet, obesity and excessive ultra-violet exposure (Zeng et al., 2017). Psoriasis may present in multiple ways; the most common form is with chronic stable plaques (psoriasis vulgaris). Other presentations include guttate, pustular, erythrodermic and inverse psoriasis. Assessment tools can be used easily in practice to help evaluate and monitor disease severity (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI)) and psychosocial impact (Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score). Treatments should depend on the type, severity and psycho-social impact of psoriasis on the patient.
展开▼
