Psoriasis, a barrier to sports
Psoriasis is an autoimmune inflammatory disease that manifests itself through the skin in the form of pink plaques that itch and flake. Its derivation in psoriatic or plantar arthritis adds to this malaise, the impossibility of practicing activities related to sports.
In this sense, 70 percent of patients state that the psoriais is a barrier to sports and it limits many aspects of his daily life, among which those linked to his leisure activities stand out.
The difficulty of playing sports with psoriasis
Specifically, and according to a study carried out by Acción Psoriasis, 46.7 percent of the patients who suffer from this disease admit to having difficulties to practice some sport as a result of this pathology.
There are two types of psoriasis, which constitute a barrier to sports:
- Psoriatic arthritis (developed in 10% and 30% of patients with psoriasis) is a form of chronic inflammation of the joints that is characterized by redness, swelling and pain of the joints, symptoms that manifest externally with the pinkish plaques that appear in the skin.
- Plantar psoriasis (manifested in the soles of the feet) is one of the types of skin psoriasis that, because of the pain it causes when stepping on, is the one that most affects those who practice sports. Therefore, the risk of worsening the area affected after practicing contact sports causes a high number of people affected by this type of psoriasis to abandon the sport.
Thus, although it is common to see how doctors point out the benefits of sports practice for health, in the case of those affected by plantar psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, mobility problems, the discomfort that injuries can cause in contact with the sweat and clothing, the pain caused by the injuries derived from this type of psoriasis or the refusal to go with clothes that show the injuries, make for many of them the benefits turn into contraindications.
The relationship of psoriasis with other diseases
In addition to suffering from psoriasis, patients who develop it have a potential risk of triggering other health problems. Thus, in recent years, it has been shown that moderate or severe psoriasis is associated with other threats such as dyslipidemia (increased levels of blood fats, cholesterol and triglycerides), diabetes (increased levels of glucose and sugar, in blood) and arterial hypertension, pathologies that increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis and, as a consequence of it, myocardial infarction.
New arthritis website
Now, Psoriasis Action has created a specific website and service with all the information on psoriatic arthritis: www.artritispsoriasica.org. In it, anyone can know what is, how it is detected, the effects it produces and the current treatments. In addition, it allows the user to perform a test to know if it has the symptoms of this disease.
Patricia Núñez de Arenas
