Penn dermatologists provide comprehensive care for patients with psoriasis, a chronic, non-contagious, genetic inflammatory autoimmune disease of the skin. It is the most common autoimmune disease in the United States affecting approximately 7.5 million people.
What is Psoriasis?
Patients with psoriasis may have inherited genes that cause the disease. Exposure to external triggers, such as stress, injury or trauma to the skin or specific medications for other health conditions, may cause psoriasis to develop.
Psoriasis can be associated with arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and depression. Recently, it has also been shown to be associated with an increase in risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiac disease and elevation in lipids.
Psoriasis may occur at any age in both males and females and in all ethnic groups. Psoriasis most frequently develops for the first time in younger people in their late teens or early twenties. A second onset of psoriasis frequently occurs in adults in their mid to late fifties.
In This Section
Treatment for Psoriasis is dependent on the specific form of psoriasis afflicting the patient.
Penn's world renowned Dermatologists provide expert treatment for Psoriasis. Browse our list of physicians.