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Gunshot Wounds Have Long-Term Health Consequences: Study

Emergency department patients treated for gunshot wounds to the chest or abdomen are more likely to...
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Released From Hospital After Health Scare

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was discharged from the hospital on Sunday after being admitted...
Expensive Device Used in Heart Surgeries Might Pose Dangers: Study

A pricey high-tech pump that maintains blood flow during heart procedures could be more dangerous to...

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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.