Psoriasis is a skin disease with highly variable aspects between patients. Each person has a specific and unique type of psoriasis, either because of the location and type of lesions, or because of the interaction between the disease and the person, since the degree of impact it has on each subject is different.
In the first assessment of a patient with psoriasis, it is necessary to carry out a concise examination and dialogue, to determine the following characteristics of their disease:
• Type of injuries
• Extent of injuries
• Symptoms it causes
• Only skin or nail and/or joint involvement
• Psychological impact
Psoriasis is one of the skin diseases with the greatest impact on the patient’s usual pace of life and psychological state . These two aspects must be taken into account in the medical visit, which should not be limited to the assessment of the physical appearance of the skin.
At present, it is also accepted that patients with psoriasis are at greater risk of suffering some metabolic complications, such as hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and overweight, as well as a higher incidence of cardiovascular complications. These aspects should be assessed, if necessary, by means of a metabolic analytical profile.
Finally, the treatments that the patient has previously undergone must be known, in order to assess new therapeutic possibilities. Likewise, we will emphasize the patient’s preferences when choosing one treatment or another, weighing comfort, effectiveness and application schedules.
In summary, psoriasis is one of the skin diseases with the greatest psychological impact on the patient, who experiences it in a particular and personal way in each case. Nowadays, there is a tendency to assess the patient as a whole, taking into account additional factors of the disease, and not only the physical appearance of the disease.