Psoriasis; guttate

Alternative names:

guttate psoriasis

Definition:

An inflammatory skin condition with characteristic skin patches; one form of psoriasis.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Guttate psoriasis is a relatively uncommon form of psoriasis, affecting 8 out of 100,000 people. It can appear suddenly or gradually, but it generally follows a lung infection.

Psoriasis seems to be an inherited disorder, and it appears to be related to the immune or inflammatory response. It often is aggravated by injury or irritation (cuts, burns, rash, insect bites), and may be severe in immunosuppressed people (such as those who have chemotherapy for cancer, or with AIDS) or in people who have autoimmune disorders (such as rheumatoid arthritis). Medications, viral or bacterial infections, excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, lack of sunlight, overexposure to sunlight (sunburn), stress, cold climate, and frequent friction on the skin are also associated with flare-ups of psoriasis. The disorder is not contagious.

Normally, skin takes about a month for its new cells to move from the lower layers to the surface. In psoriasis, this process takes only a few days, resulting in the build-up of dead skin cells and formation of thick scales. The lesions of guttate psoriasis are found all over the body.