Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a skin disease that causes itchy or sore patches of thick, red skin with silvery scales. You usually get the patches on your elbows, knees, scalp, back, face, palms and feet, but they can show up on other parts of your body. Some people who have psoriasis also get a form of arthritis called psoriatic arthritis.
A problem with your immune system causes psoriasis. In a process called cell turnover, skin cells that grow deep in your skin rise to the surface. Normally, this takes a month. In psoriasis, it happens in just days because your cells rise too fast.
Psoriasis can be hard to diagnose because it can look like other skin diseases. Your doctor might need to look at a small skin sample under a microscope.
Psoriasis can last a long time, even a lifetime. Symptoms come and go. Things that make them worse include:
- Infections
- Stress
- Dry skin
- Certain medicines
Psoriasis usually occurs in adults. It sometimes runs in families. Treatments include creams, medicines, and light therapy.
It sits within Skin, Hair and Nails.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Psoriasis
2,528 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- A Study of JNJ-77242113 for the Treatment of Participants With Generalized Pustular Psoriasis or Erythrodermic PsoriasisJanssen Pharmaceutical K.K.
- Shuiniujiao Dihuang Decoction With Variation for the Treatment of PsoriasisChinese University of Hong Kong
- Anti Inflammatory Diet With Physical Therapy on PsoriasisMahmoud Usama Mahmoud Ahmed
- A Study of HL40626S Tablets in Healthy AdultsHighslab Therapeutics, Inc.
- A Study of Zasocitinib in Adults With Psoriatic Arthritis Who Have or Have Not Been Treated With Biologic MedicinesTakeda
- A Trial to Understand How Safe and Well Tolerated ZP9830 is and How it Works in People With Plaque Psoriasis Over an 8-week Treatment PeriodZealand Pharma
Research already completed
- A Study of TAK-279 in Adult Participants With Generalized Pustular Psoriasis or Erythrodermic PsoriasisTakeda
- The Psoriasis, Atherosclerosis, and Cardiometabolic Disease Initiative (PACI)National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- Chinese Medicine for Patients With PsoriasisChinese University of Hong Kong
- An Observational Study to Assess Change in Disease Activity and Treatment Patterns of Upadacitinib When Given Alone or Co-Administered With Methotrexate in Adult Participants With Active Psoriatic ArthritisAbbVie
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- About PsoriasisNational Psoriasis Foundation
- Spotlight on Psoriasis: Preventing Patches of Itchy, Sore SkinNational Institutes of Health
- What Is Psoriasis?National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Treatments and Therapies
- PhototherapyVisualDX
Related Issues
- Scalp Psoriasis vs. Seborrheic Dermatitis: What's the Difference?Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Genetics
- Generalized pustular psoriasis: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: PsoriasisNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Psoriasis. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Psoriasis, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.