|
||||||||
  |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Psoriasis symptoms and treatments
Editor's note: CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta answers medical questions submitted by e-mail on "Your Health," which airs at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturdays. Questions and answers are posted on CNN.com after the show. Q: What is psoriasis and how can it be treated? -- Pundit in Mumbai, India A: Pundit, psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that causes skin cells to grow too quickly, resulting in thick, white, or red patches of skin. The patches can be large or small, and typically occur on the knees, elbows, scalp, hands, feet, or lower back. The patches, called plaque, may join together or cover large areas. In severe cases, skin can be inflamed with raised red areas topped with loose, silvery, scaling skin. It can also become itchy and tender. Psoriasis can affect joints, causing swelling and tenderness. Symptoms may come and go. Treatment can help control them but there is no cure. Treatment usually involves keeping the skin moist and lubricated. Phototherapy -- such as ultraviolet lights -- and antibiotics may also be necessary. Q: If a pregnant woman gets the chicken pox in her sixth month, how will the baby be affected? -- Ganeshram in Malaysia A: Good question, and one that most pregnant women don't want to think about. While a cold is unlikely to harm a developing fetus, various infections and diseases -- including chicken pox and its cousin shingles -- can. Chicken pox and shingles can cause prematurity, skin lesions, and a host of abnormalities -- from neurological to skeletal to gastrointestinal -- in the babies of pregnant women who are not immune to the virus. In the worst-case scenario, it can cause stillbirth. Fortunately, 85 percent to 90 percent of pregnant women are immune to the disease. If you think you have been exposed to chicken pox, see your doctor immediately. "Ask Dr. Gupta" is not intended to address specific questions concerning individual cases. CNN does not directly or indirectly practice medicine or provide medical advice, and nothing contained in the responses of CNN through its correspondents is a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always contact your doctor if you need medical advice or treatment, or have any questions regarding a medical condition.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
