Infectious Disease

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Seven States Join Pact to Speed Coronavirus Testing

As the daily U.S. coronavirus death toll averaged more than 1,000 for the ninth straight day...
Obesity Ups Odds for Severe COVID-19, But Age Matters

If you’re younger than 65 years old and obese, COVID-19 poses a special danger to you....
Skip the ‘Maskne,’ Not the Mask

For most people, wearing a face mask is a harmless inconvenience, but wearing the coverings may...

More Infectious Disease News

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- Posted August 4, 2020
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Safeguards such as contact tracing and swift isolation of cases of COVID-19 could be...
- Posted August 4, 2020
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November Election Can Be Held Safely, Experts Contend
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- Posted August 4, 2020
- 8
Coronavirus Pandemic Becoming Far More Widespread, Birx Says
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- Posted August 3, 2020
- 12
Even With PPE, Risk of COVID-19 Still High for Frontline Workers
At the peak of the pandemic in the United States and United Kingdom, frontline...
- Posted August 3, 2020
- 1
Face Masks, Yes, But Don’t Forget Hand-Washing Too
For most people, wearing a face mask to protect against COVID-19 doesn’t lead to...
- Posted August 3, 2020
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Guard Against Lyme Disease This Summer
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- Posted August 1, 2020
- 14
Top U.S. Health Officials to Testify in Congress About Pandemic Response
As the number of U.S. coronavirus cases passed 4.5 million on Thursday, some of...
- Posted July 31, 2020
- 6
Coma, Paralysis and Rehab: A Long Road to Recovery for Some COVID Survivors
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- Posted July 31, 2020
- 5
Study Reveals How Coronavirus Travels Indoors
A new study explains how the coronavirus hitches a ride on droplets released when...
- Posted July 31, 2020
- 2
Pandemic Could Complicate Hurricane Season
As Hurricane Isaias moved toward the east coast of Florida on Friday, one expert...
- Posted July 31, 2020
- 9

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.