1. Moderate to Severe Psoriasis Slideshow
2. Psoriasis Quiz: Test Your Medical IQ
3. How Much Is Psoriasis Affecting Your Life?

Medical Author:

Gary W. Cole, MD, FAAD

Gary W. Cole, MD, FAAD

Dr. Cole is board certified in dermatology. He obtained his BA degree in bacteriology, his MA degree in microbiology, and his MD at the University of California, Los Angeles. He trained in dermatology at the University of Oregon, where he completed his residency.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Complications may include the following:

• Bacterial skin infections, hair loss, and nail loss
• Hypoalbuminemia (abnormally low amounts of albumin in the blood) due to loss of blood protein into tissues
• Hypocalcemia (abnormally low levels of calcium in the blood)
• Renal tubular necrosis from oligemia (blood deficiency in the body)
• Liver damage from blood deficiency in the body and general toxicity
• Malabsorption (in which your gastrointestinal tract doesn't absorb nutrients sufficiently) and malnutrition

The von Zumbusch type (with fever and toxicity) can cause death if it is not treated during the acute phase. The heart or lungs may fail and cause death, but this usually only happens in untreated people. Older people with the von Zumbusch type have a poor prognosis.

Occasionally, acute respiratory distress syndrome can complicate generalized pustular psoriasis. People who have typical psoriasis before they experience a generalized pustular episode tend to do better than people with unusual forms of psoriasis before the pustular flare-up.

Children tend to recover well as long as serious skin infections are avoided.

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