Med-Surg - Integumentary System, part 7: Psoriasis

Hi, I'm Cathy with Level Up RN. In this brief video, I'll be talking about psoriasis. And at the end of the video, I'm going to give you guys a little quiz to test your knowledge of some of the key points I'll be covering, so definitely stay tuned for that. And I will be hitting the highlights of our psoriasis flashcard. You can find this flashcard in our Medical-Surgical Nursing flashcard deck in the integumentary system. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that causes the development of thick, red patches with silver scales. It's an autoimmune disorder that results in the overproduction of keratin in the epidermis, and like many other autoimmune disorders, it has periods of exacerbations and remissions. In addition to scaly patches, patients with psoriasis may also have pitting or crumbling nails. Diagnosis of psoriasis can typically be done through clinical examination, but in some cases, a skin biopsy may be needed. Topical medications that are often used in the treatment of psoriasis include topical steroids, salicylic acid, as well as coal tar. If your patient is using coal tar, you definitely want to give them a heads-up that coal tar can stain their skin, hair, and clothing. And because psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder, then immunosuppressants and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs such as methotrexate are often used as well. For more severe psoriasis, UV light therapy could be used to help slow down the excessive growth of skin cells. So during therapy, eye protection needs to be provided to the patient. In addition, a medication called psoralen may be used to increase the skin sensitivity to UV light, which helps to enhance the effects of UV light therapy. However, it should be noted that this type of therapy does increase a patient's risk for skin cancer.

All right. It's quiz time, and I have three questions for you. First question, psoriasis is a skin disorder caused by direct contact with an irritant or allergen. True or false? The answer is false. That actually describes contact dermatitis and not psoriasis. Question number two, what medication used in the treatment of psoriasis can stain the patient's skin, hair, and clothes? The answer is coal tar. Question number three, what medication can be used in conjunction with UV light therapy in the treatment of psoriasis to enhance the effects of the therapy? The answer is psoralen. Okay, I hope you did well on that quiz. Take care and good luck with studying. Which helps to increase the skin sensitivity to UV light, which enhances the effects of U-- BB. And then a medication called so sho bo bo co de do do.