22 years old man's whole of body was covered with psoriasis

Mr. D. P (Patient Ref. No. L-6827) a 22 years old male patient reported complaints of psoriasis for 3 years. He had extensive lesions on his arms, legs, abdomen, chest, back and a few lesions coming up on the neck and scalp for the last few weeks. Almost the whole of his body was covered with erythematous, scaly lesions that were itchy. In general, his skin was very dry. His complaints would get worse during winter and in monsoon. He had tried all forms of treatment including local steroids but had not been benefited by any of these.

His appetite was normal and he was fond of spicy and salted foods. He would sweat profusely especially on the forehead. He was an obese person with a fair complexion. His sleep would be sound and he would sleep on his abdomen.

He had completed his studies and was into his family business. He had a calm nature and would easily mix up with the people around him. He was a very expressive person and would express his feelings easily to the opposite person. He was very emotional too and would be easily affected by what others around him would say. He denied having any major tensions or worries in his life.

There was no history of any major illness in the past. His father had psoriasis and diabetes and his brother had suffered from vitiligo in childhood.

Based on these complaints he was prescribed Phosphorus 200 for his complaints. He was informed that an increase in the psoriasis was expected in the first few weeks due to the stoppage of the steroids that he had been receiving previously. This phenomenon is observed in many skin conditions when there is an increase in skin lesions due to the stoppage of steroids since their action is suppressive in nature. The relapse which occurs after the stoppage of steroids is sometimes more difficult to treat. In the case of this patient, there was a definite increase in the number of lesions after stopping steroids and the eruptions had spread all over the body. There was marked itching too. This phase lasted for about 6 weeks in the case of this patient after which the improvement began to show. In the next 3 months itself, his psoriasis was more than 75% better than before. His itching was almost gone and he was not getting any new eruptions either. At the end of another few months, his skin had returned to an almost normal state and he was leading a normal life.