Re: People with Psoriasis Worry About Getting Up Close and Personal

[Guest guest]

Makes me want to go out and find a cure!

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[ ] People with Psoriasis Worry About Getting Up Close

and Personal

People with Psoriasis Worry About Getting Up Close and Personal

Relationship issues, society pressures and social embarrassment

profoundly

affect the millions of adults who suffer from psoriasis, a chronic,

debilitating skin disease that often leads to a reclusive lifestyle.

Newswise < Relationship issues, society pressures and social

embarrassment

profoundly affect the millions of adults who suffer from psoriasis, a

chronic, debilitating skin disease that often leads to a reclusive

lifestyle. Findings from a new survey conducted among people with

moderate

to severe psoriasis confirm that having this autoimmune disease creates

significant problems with social and personal relationships.

The national survey examined the feelings and attitudes of 502 patients

with

moderate to severe psoriasis. Results emphasize the impact of psoriasis

on

intimate relationships, social activities and other aspects of daily

life.

The survey was conducted on behalf of Beyond Psoriasis: The Person

Behind

the Patient, a program dedicated to elevating awareness of psoriasis as

a

life-altering disease with significant physical, psychological and

social

consequences. One of the most dramatic survey findings indicates that 74

percent of people with moderate to severe psoriasis are uncomfortable in

public, especially when their psoriasis flares up. In addition, eight in

ten

people with severe forms of the disease do not want to be seen in

public.

" As an active person, my social life was significantly affected by

psoriasis

when I was diagnosed at age 19. As the symptoms got worse I stopped

doing

activities that I'd always enjoyed, " said Tom M., a 40-year-old person

with

psoriasis. ³I quit going to the gym and I let psoriasis take control of

my

daily activities because I was afraid of how others would react. "

Indeed, social trepidations and relationship issues dominate the worries

of

people living with moderate to severe psoriasis. In the survey, 48

percent

of the participants indicated they worry that their partner is

embarrassed

by their condition.

For a single person, however, that embarrassment extends to intimacy

issues,

with over half of those interviewed expressing problems in their sex

life

(30 percent of married people with psoriasis also report difficulties).

Other survey findings showed:

· 78 percent indicated psoriasis affects their daily interactions with

others

· More than half surveyed stated that psoriasis affects their

relationships

with family and friends

· 73 percent of those with severe psoriasis agree that their

self-confidence

is affected by the disease

· 1 out of every 4 people said they avoid physical contact with those

close

to them due to the disease

· Nearly half of all singles said they would pursue more relationships

if

they did not have psoriasis

· Half of those who are married said psoriasis affects their

self-confidence

In addition, 85 percent of people with psoriasis said they do not

believe

that society understands the disease, and 73 percent said they do not

believe society finds the disease as debilitating as other chronic

diseases.

Most Americans that are aware and understand what psoriasis is, do not

know

that 4.5 million Americans have the disease or that psoriasis is as

debilitating as diabetes or heart disease, or that psoriasis is not

curable.

³Sometimes people with psoriasis seem so overwhelmed by their

insecurities

they forget that their friends, family and relationships can also be

affected,² said Melodie Young, MSN, RN, ANP-C. ³First, accept that your

loved ones love you, and want to help you. Help them understand what you

are

feeling, your discomfort, and your fears. Talk about it and figure it

out

together and remember

that relationships are not just mental but emotional as well. Our hope

is

that Beyond Psoriasis will be of comfort to those who are feeling

misunderstood and can find support and practical advice to help them

navigate through their social difficulties and relationships.²

Further survey findings will be revealed during the relationship and

social

discussion live web event on July 21, 2004 at 7:30 PM EST. The event

will be

hosted on the National Psoriasis Foundation website

(http://www.videonewswire.com/event.asp?id=23442 & regd=n) by Alison

Ehrlich,

M.D., M.H.S., Pat McClelland, R.N. and psoriasis patient Tom M.

Beyond Psoriasis: The Person Behind the Patient

In response to the need for increased public awareness and support of

people

with psoriasis, the National Psoriasis Foundation, Dermatology Nurses

Association, leading dermatologists and people with psoriasis have

collaborated to launch Beyond Psoriasis: The Person Behind the Patient.

Beyond Psoriasis provides education, hope and empowerment to individuals

to

help them take better control of their disease and their lives.

Beyondpsoriasis.com is a website that provides people with psoriasis a

new

resource that offers information, coping tips and lessons learned by

others

with psoriasis on managing the emotional and social challenges of this

disease.

About Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic, autoimmune disease characterized by

highly-visible,

thick, red, scaly inflamed patches on the skin¹s surface, resulting from

inflammation with resultant accelerated skin cell turnover. Patches can

be

few in number limited to a few spots or involve extensive areas of the

body,

appearing most commonly on the scalp, knees, elbows or trunk. People

with

severe psoriasis are affected on more than 10% of the body surface.

Psoriasis also can be considered severe if it is prevalent in areas such

as

the hands, feet, face or genitals, where disease can strongly impact

physical and social functional abilities. Once a person is affected, the

disease typically persists for the remainder of a patient¹s life.

Although

highly visible, psoriasis is not a contagious disease. While there is no

known cure for psoriasis, there are a number of treatment options

available

including topical medication, phototherapy, systemic and biologic

injectable

therapies.

Beyond Psoriasis: The Person Behind the Patient is supported by

Genentech.

Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops,

manufactures and commercializes biotherapeutics for significant unmet

medical needs. Eighteen of the currently approved biotechnology products

originated from or are based on Genentech science. Genentech

manufactures

and commercializes 12 biotechnology products directly in the United

States.

The company has headquarters in South San Francisco, California and is

traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DNA. For press

releases and additional information about the company, please visit

http://www.gene.com.

About the National Psoriasis Foundation

The National Psoriasis Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization

fighting to improve the quality of life of the more than 5 million

Americans

diagnosed with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis and their families.

Its

mission is to educate people about these diseases and their treatments,

raise public awareness, and support ongoing research. The organization

is

headquartered in Portland, Ore. For more information, please call the

Psoriasis Foundation at 800.723.9166 or visit http://www.psoriasis.org.