Your journey with psoriasis

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Your journey
with psoriasis

These days 'long-term condition' is widely used to describe conditions such as psoriasis. When you think about it, it is a good description.

Most long-term conditions such as psoriasis or diabetes do not have a cure, but there are ways of living well even with a long-term condition.

What does that mean for me?

Once you have been diagnosed with psoriasis it is likely that you will always have it – but this does not mean it will always affect you severely.

Psoriasis can be very mild, even for people who have had severe flares in the past.

What does that mean for me?

It is important for you to learn what is best for you and your psoriasis, at this particular time in your life and that may be through trial and error. Some things that were not important to you in the past may be important now. Our needs change.

Psoriasis and heart health!

You may recently have heard some discussion about psoriasis having a link with heart disease. The good news from the impact programme is that our research indicates that there does not seem to be a direct link between psoriasis and heart disease.

What does that mean for me?

This means that having psoriasis alone isn’t likely to lead to heart disease.

However, it does seem that people with psoriasis often experience other conditions that are linked to heart disease. These include being overweight or less physically active or smoking.

It could be the case that for some people, the practical or emotional effects of having psoriasis get in the way of having a healthy lifestyle.

Psoriatic arthritis

Some people with psoriasis can develop a musculo-skeletal condition called psoriatic arthritis [pronounced soh-ri-attic]. This means that if you start to have pain or stiffness in your joints it may be worth discussing it with your healthcare provider– especially if the pain is accompanied by swelling or heat.

What does that mean for me?

Remind your healthcare provider that you also have psoriasis. Not all joint problems are a sign that a person with psoriasis has psoriatic arthritis, but it is worth getting checked. There are many effective treatments for psoriatic arthritis and the earlier you get a diagnosis the better.

Think about...

Taking care of all aspects of your well-being such as aiming for a balanced, enjoyable diet, looking after your mood and taking your medicines as prescribed.

Like others who have long-term conditions such as diabetes, it is important to try to live well with psoriasis.

Nurse's top-tip

The PASI stands for the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index. It is a way for nurses and doctors to assess the severity of psoriasis flares and can help us to guide decision making about what we should do next.

Doctor's top-tip

Make a note of all the treatments you have used. What has worked well for you in the past? What hasn’t? Then feel free to ask your healthcare provider about new or current treatments that are available but you may not yet have tried.

Patient’s top-tip

Get to know your health professionals, and try to feel confident to ask to see the same person again if you liked their approach. It may mean you have to wait longer to see them but it may be worth it.

Make notes

Use this section to make notes on how you manage your psoriasis at the moment. Note how you feel and the next steps you would like to take.

Have a look at the example goals and
plans below and use the spaces to
add your own next steps

NEW PLANS

GOAL 1

WHAT I want to happen

PLAN 1

HOW I can make this happen

GOAL 2

To lose 1 stone by July

PLAN 2

I will go to the slimming club website and check out their meeting times

1. I will

2. I will

For further advice or information please consult your healthcare provider or psoriasis patient association in your region