Infectious Disease

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Common Infant Vaccine May Also Shield Kids From Type 1 Diabetes

Vaccinating against the common infant infection rotavirus not only cuts a child’s odds of getting sick,...
Health Tip: Causes of Swollen Lymph Nodes

(HealthDay News) — Swollen lymph nodes often occur after exposure to bacteria or viruses, says Mayo...
Whooping Cough Vaccine Effectiveness Fades With Time: Study

The waning effectiveness of a flawed whooping cough vaccine is the main culprit in recent outbreaks...

More Infectious Disease News

Chickenpox Vaccine Shields Kids From Shingles, Too
Shingles isn’t usually considered a kids’ disease, but children can get this painful condition....
- Posted June 10, 2019
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Health Tip: Symptoms of Meningitis
(HealthDay News) — Meningitis can kill a person within hours. So knowing its symptoms...
- Posted June 10, 2019
- 17
Health Tip: Early Signs of Lyme Disease
(HealthDay News) — Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium that may be acquired...
- Posted June 7, 2019
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Dentists Prescribe Antibiotics Far Too Often: Study
Dentists tend to be overeager when it comes to prescribing antibiotics, new research suggests....
- Posted June 5, 2019
- 16
Health Tip: Your Child’s Runny Nose
(HealthDay News) — A runny nose usually starts when your child’s cold is on...
- Posted May 31, 2019
- 1
Q Fever? A Bigger Threat to Humans Than Thought
You’ve probably never heard of Q fever, but the bacterial disease may be sickening...
- Posted May 22, 2019
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Health Tip: Preventing Ringworm
(HealthDay News) — Ringworm is a fungal infection that gets its name from the...
- Posted May 16, 2019
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Do Adults Need a Measles Booster Shot?
New York’s ongoing measles epidemic alarmed midtown Manhattan resident Deb Ivanhoe, who couldn’t remember...
- Posted May 8, 2019
- 1
Newer Diabetes Drugs Linked to ‘Flesh-Eating’ Genital Infection
Say you have type 2 diabetes and you are taking a newer class of...
- Posted May 7, 2019
- 7
Health Tip: Protect Yourself From Sepsis
(HealthDay News) — Sepsis, the body’s overwhelming response to a blood infection, is a...
- Posted April 30, 2019
- 11
Parents, Protect Your Kids as Measles Outbreaks Spread
As measles outbreaks spread across the United States, there are a number of things...
- Posted April 29, 2019
- 8

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.