On Friday 24th June talkhealth went along to Guy’s Hospital to support Psoriasis Shout Out’s afternoon of talks and performances.

Psoriasis Clienticians

The event was chaired by Catherine Smith, Professor of Dermatology and Therapeutics. The other clinicians present were Dr Eleanor Higgins, Consultant Dermatologist; Dr Sandy McBride, Consultant Dermatologist; Dr Alexandra Mizara, Clinical Lead of the Psycho-dermatology Service, Royal Free Hospital and Lucy Moorhead, Psoriasis Nurse of the Year.

The main points taken from the talks were:

  • 2 million people, that’s 2% of the UK population, live with psoriasis. That’s the same number of vegetarians, wheelchair users and hedgehogs in the UK!
  • Some well known people who have psoriasis include Kim Kardashian, Alan Carr and LeAnn Rimes.
  • If both parents have psoriasis any children they have have a 41% chance of also having the condition.
  • A third of psoriasis patients suffer from anxiety or depression.
  • 90% of sufferers feel they are stigmatised because of their psoriasis.
  • A third of psoriasis sufferers develop psoriatic arthritis.
  • Newly diagnosed patients want to know why they’ve developed psoriasis, what the prognosis is and if it will ever go away completely. They also want to know what the best treatment is.
  • There have been huge advances in psoriasis treatment over the last ten years, therefore if patients suspect they have psoriasis they should not delay in seeking help from their GP.
  • While there is no good quality evidence to show specialist diets improve psoriasis, a generally healthy, well balanced diet and regular exercise will help.

Comedian Toby Hadoke also spoke about his experience with the condition. Toby talked about the importance of keeping engaged with your healthcare providers and not giving up on finding a treatment that will work, despite our typically British habit of ‘not wanting to make a fuss’. He also explained how he has learned to accept and live with psoriasis, stopping it from having the power to take over his life.

At the end of the talks the floor was opened for a Q&A session. One participant wanted to know where doctors are currently signposting psoriasis patients to for support. The avenues listed included blogs, patient associations and helplines.

Want further information? Visit our talkpsoriasis hub, and don’t forget our skin clinic in September.

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This is the talkhealth blog spot, where we post on a wide range of health conditions, topics, issues and concerns. We post when we see something that we believe is of interest to our visitors. Our posts do not reflect any particular view or standpoint of talkhealth, but are merely to raise attention and awareness.

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