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11 States Could Face ICU Doc Shortages as Coronavirus Cases Surge

As COVID-19 infections surge across the United States, 11 states could find themselves with too few...
Early Dialysis Doesn’t Improve Outcomes With Acute Kidney Failure

For critically ill patients with acute kidney injury, early dialysis doesn’t reduce death any more than...
Pandemic Has Half of U.S. Hospitals Operating at a Loss: Report

The COVID-19 pandemic has America’s hospitals on the fiscal ropes, with many facing financial ruin without...

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1 in 5 Hospitalized NYC COVID-19 Patients Needed ICU Care
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More COVID Casualties: Stroke Victims Who Put Off Treatment
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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.