Arthritis, Bones & Joints

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Strong Blood Thinners May Help COVID Patients, But Degree of Illness Is Key

Full doses of blood thinners can benefit patients hospitalized with COVID-19, but the severity of their...
How Smoking Could Help Spur Breast Cancer’s Spread

Here’s one reason why past or current smoking may handicap you if you are battling breast...
Arthritis Drug Tocilizumab Flops as COVID-19 Treatment

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Menopause is known to bring a variety of unpleasant symptoms ranging from hot flashes...
- Posted January 21, 2021
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What Shoes Work Best With Arthritic Knees?
Lots of Americans suffer from painful arthritic knees, but a new study finds that...
- Posted January 13, 2021
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New Insights Into How COVID-19 Damages the Brain
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- Posted January 13, 2021
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Dangerous COVID-19 Syndrome First Seen in Kids Also Strikes Adults
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- Posted October 26, 2020
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An Unexpected Finding on What Might Drive Joint Disease
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- Posted October 23, 2020
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1 in 3 Americans With Arthritis Say Pain, Symptoms Persist
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- Posted October 20, 2020
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Newer Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug May Help Ease Tough-to-Treat Cases
A recently approved rheumatoid arthritis medication appears to be an effective second-line therapy when...
- Posted October 19, 2020
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‘Love Hormone’ Could Hold Key to Treating COVID
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- Posted October 9, 2020
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Kids Who Need Steroids Face Risk of Diabetes, Other Ills
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- Posted September 24, 2020
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Getting a Hip Replacement? Choice of Hospital Can Be Crucial
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- Posted September 18, 2020
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COVID-19 Ills No Greater for Those With Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis
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- Posted September 4, 2020
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Are You Living with Psoriasis?

A growing knowledge of the skin disease called psoriasis is leading to greater treatment choices, including personalized therapies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports.

Psoriasis is an immune system disorder that causes overproduction of skin cells, resulting in scaling, pain, swelling, redness and heat. The condition affects about 7.5 million Americans.

“As we better understand the disease, researchers know more about what specific factors to target in order to develop effective treatments,” FDA dermatologist Dr. Melinda McCord said in an agency news release.

There is no cure for psoriasis, so the main goals of treatments are to stop skin cell overproduction and reduce inflammation. Current therapies include medicines applied to the skin (topical), light treatment (phototherapy), or drugs taken by mouth or given by injection.

Doctors used to take a step-by-step approach, starting patients with mild to moderate psoriasis on topical therapy. If that was ineffective, doctors moved on to phototherapy or drug treatment.