Psoriasis is a very individual disease, varying by location on the body and the amount of skin affected. For some people, the symptoms of the disease are virtually unnoticeable; for others, the raised and/or reddened plaques of skin psoriasis can be widespread. As a rule of thumb, the more skin that psoriasis covers, the more severe the disease.
The National Psoriasis Foundation defines severity based on the total area of skin affected. Use this simple comparison: Imagine that your palm equals 1 percent of your body, and a large dinner plate is the equivalent of 10 percent. Then think about the percentage of your body covered by psoriasis.
Psoriasis severity is usually categorized as:
- Mild Psoriasis: Covers less than 2 percent of the body
- Moderate Psoriasis: Covers 2 to 10 percent of the body
- Severe Psoriasis: Covers more than 10 percent of the body
While these are helpful guidelines, other factors come into play when talking about psoriasis severity. To a large extent, severity is related to how psoriasis makes you feel and how much it affects your life. For example, psoriasis on the hands and feet, even if confined to a small area, often is considered severe because it can be painful and make daily tasks more difficult.
In the end, the notion of psoriasis severity is a very personal one that must take into account the extent of body coverage, the location of plaques, and the disease’s effects on your overall physical and emotional well being.
Because there is no laboratory test for psoriatic arthritis, people with psoriasis and joint pain may want to consult a specialist in joint diseases, called a rheumatologist, to evaluate their symptoms. Other joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and Reiter’s syndrome all may be confused with psoriatic arthritis.
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