KUWAIT CITY, Oct 3: The Director of Farwaniya Hospital Dr. Ali Al-Mutairi says psoriasis is a common skin disease affecting about two to three percent of the population of Kuwait and the world, irrespective of race and ethnicity. He said this in a press statement issued on the sidelines of a psoriasis awareness campaign held yesterday at Farwaniya Hospital, coinciding with Psoriasis Awareness Month, which falls in October every year.

Dr. Al-Mutairi explained that psoriasis is an autoimmune skin disease that affects men and women alike at various age levels, especially from 16 to 22 years, and from 57 to 60 years. Despite the high cost of treatment, the Ministry of Health does not hesitate to provide appropriate treatments for various types of psoriasis. There is a specialized psoriasis clinic at Farwaniya Hospital, which includes an integrated medical team from various dermatology, internal medicine, and pharmacy specialties, in order to follow up complex and complicated cases that require direct treatment by several medical specialties. The different types of psoriasis include plaque and nail psoriasis, guttate psoriasis, flexural psoriasis, pustular psoriasis, and erythrodermic psoriasis.

The disease often appears in the form of itchy rashes and flaky spots on the knees, elbows, trunk, and scalp. Meanwhile, in a similar press statement, the Head of the Dermatology Department at Farwaniya Hospital and the Secretary General of the Kuwait Dermatologists Association Dr. Abeer Al-Bathali affirmed the keenness of the association to organize this campaign to raise awareness and educate the community about the disease by organizing weekly events and activities in all dermatology centers, starting with Farwaniya Hospital and concluding at the Avenues Mall on October 28. Dr. Al-Bathali stated that the goal of the campaign is to educate individuals and society about the dangers of psoriasis, stressing that it is a common disease that appears in the form of red spots covered with a crusty layer on the knees, elbows, and scalp. She said there are diseases that may accompany psoriasis, such as metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and high levels of uric acid and triglycerides. Dr. Al-Bathali warned that patients suffering from psoriasis are among those at the highest risk for developing heart disease, due to which emphasis must be put on educating the community and correcting its concepts about the disease.

By Marwa Al-Bahrawi
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff