The psoriasis is one of the autoimmune diseases better known and, although it is not considered one of the most serious, I know that it is true that it makes the lives of those who suffer it very hard.
This is due to psychological impact what is the presence highly visible skin lesions and also the possibility that it is accompanied by other more serious disorders, so a total cure will be great news for these patients.
Until recently thinking about this was unthinkable, but thanks to a newly discovered drug finally there seems to be a possibility to end the suffering of these people.
What is psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a autoimmune inflammatory disease characterized by the appearance of squamous lesions as a consequence of abnormal accumulation of skin cells. It can appear all over the body, but is especially seen around the elbows, knees, and scalp.
Patients affected by it usually suffer psychologicallysince the wounds are very visible and aesthetically unappealing. In addition, a great correlation between psoriasis and other diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders, so it is very important to find a cure for this 3% of the world population.
What is this new drug to cure psoriasis?
As with all autoimmune diseases, the causes that lead to the appearance of psoriasis are related to a immune system malfunction of patients who reacts in response to antigens of the body itself, instead of doing it against foreign agents, as usual.
So a group of American scientists has developed a drug, called ixekizumab, which acts on the immune system, preventing these abnormal processes from occurring.
To check their effectiveness, they have been carried out three clinical trials with a very large sample of patients, so the results, which have been magnificent, indicate an efficiency very representative.
Furthermore, the improvement has been maintained long-term, since after 60 weeks of the 70 to 80% of the 3736 patients with psoriasis they showed a complete or almost total loss of the symptoms of the disease.
Side effects of this drug against psoriasis
Although the drug has already been FDA approvedneutralization of certain components of the immune system results in side effects how low white blood cell count, yeast infections, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Therefore, it is necessary to take them into account, both to prevent patients and to try to find a solution in the future.
