
As a parent or guardian of a child or teen, your life is stressful enough!
But when it comes to rash-life symptoms specifically, the stress just seems to pile on. Is it the new detergent? Something I fed them? Or something in the air? All these questions circulate in your mind, as you try to make an appointment with their pediatrician or family doctor which at times, can take weeks or months to be seen (and that’s even before being referred to a specialist).
The issue with waiting, especially in the case of pediatric psoriasis cases, is that psoriasis is a chronic immune based inflammatory disease that can be a reflection of more than just the skin.
If you are a parent or guardian in this situation, I invite you to keep reading as we go over the ins and outs of pediatric psoriasis, and where you can seek help if you believe your child or teen is experiencing symptoms.
What is Psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a common inflammatory skin disease that is known to affect everything from the skin, nails, and joints of patients of all ages. Though psoriasis is typically diagnosed between the ages of 15-25, and 50-60, cases of pediatric psoriasis have doubled in recent years, with one third of cases starting in childhood.
Though psoriasis can be diagnosed at any age, there are few differences between pediatric and adult psoriasis. For children, psoriasis normally presents itself on:
- The elbows and front of the knees
- The scalp
- Nail plate or nail bed
- Diaper region (for infants). Diaper psoriasis may be the first sign of detecting psoriasis in your child. The differences between psoriatic diaper rash and diaper dermatitis, is that psoriatic diaper rash does not respond well to typical diaper dermatitis ointments, and may show up in the form of erythematous plaques which can typically be found between the inguinal folds (gluteal folds), rather than on the surface of the glutes.
And may have the following characteristics:
- Symmetrically distributed
- Lesions may be smaller and thinner than adult psoriasis (which can lead to bleeding)
- Lesions may have overlying white flaky scales
Importance of early diagnosis:
The importance of early diagnosis for pediatric psoriasis, other than ensuring that your child can live comfortably from day to day, is that psoriasis is an immune-mediated inflammatory disorder that may be associated with certain comorbidities, based on the type and severity of your child’s psoriasis.
Some medical conditions that are associated with the different types of psoriasis are:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Hyperlipidemia
- Rheumatoid arthritis
These conditions can coexist with psoriasis, make psoriasis worse, and may impair quality of life.
How to treat pediatric psoriasis:
If you think your child or teen is suffering from pediatric psoriasis, we welcome you to book an appointment HERE with award winning skin care physician Dr. Shehla Ebrahim, so that she can address your concerns, and diagnose your loved one accordingly.
Based on her diagnosis, your child’s medical history, and the type of psoriasis that your child may be experiencing, Dr. Shehla Ebrahim may prescribe a Rx topical cream for psoriasis treatment.
Topical psoriasis treatments may include Vit. D analogues, which are synthetic forms of vitamin D, such as calcipotriene and calcitriol. Some calcineurin inhibitor creams for reducing inflammation and plaque buildup may also be prescribed.