World Psoriasis Day, 29 October, is a truly global event, giving a special holiday to the approximately 125 million people internationally who suffer from psoriasis. On October 29th the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations, IFPA its member associations and support groups carry out activities around the world to raise proper awareness of psoriasis and its sufferers, to give psoriasis sufferers the attention and respect they deserve and to allow them to receive better treatment. To this end, we interviewed the director of the Department of Dermatology of the Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical College, Liu Guoyan, deputy chief physician, to provide further answers to patients on how to correctly understand psoriasis and thus standardize treatment. Is psoriasis psoriasis? What is the current epidemic situation? What are the hazards? The incidence of psoriasis is 0.1%-3%. With environmental pollution and changes in diet structure, there has been a significant growth trend in recent years (experts estimate that there are no less than 5 million psoriasis patients in China), and the age of first onset has decreased significantly. As patients are influenced by negative propaganda, “talking about ringworm” and “avoiding ringworm psychology” are common, which largely drive patients to blindly and indiscriminately treat the disease, leading to the gradual aggravation of the disease and the gradual increase of serious types of psoriasis, which seriously affects the health and quality of life of patients. This has led to a gradual aggravation of the disease and an increase in the number of serious types of psoriasis, seriously affecting patients’ health and quality of life. Therefore, it is especially important to correctly perceive, eliminate misconceptions and guide psoriasis patients to adopt individualized treatment plans. What is the significance of “World Psoriasis Day”? What impact will it have on the prevention and treatment of psoriasis? Deputy Chief Physician Liu Guoyan: At present, the prevention and treatment of psoriasis has become a social issue of global concern. At present, it is believed that the cause of psoriasis is based on genetic factors, and is affected by infection, environment, immunity and other factors. Although the disease cannot be cured, many patients with common psoriasis can be cured or get long-term relief; what causes great harm to patients and even endangers their lives are erythrodermic, pustular and arthritic psoriasis, and the above serious types of psoriasis are often transformed from common psoriasis because of improper treatment. Therefore, it becomes the main task of dermatologists to make more psoriasis patients correctly understand the hazards of the disease, avoid over-treatment and prevent and control clinical transformation. At present, the tendency of psoriasis patients to follow media advertisements is obviously higher than their reliance on dermatologists, which is a common cognitive misunderstanding and a natural enemy of psoriasis. The main purpose of the “World Psoriasis Day” campaign is to let patients understand psoriasis correctly, standardize treatment, avoid triggering factors, reasonably prevent and treat psoriasis, and improve the quality of life of psoriasis patients in all aspects. Can psoriasis be inherited? How to treat it? Psoriasis is a multifactorial and complex disease, which is influenced by a variety of other factors in addition to a strong genetic basis. Although some of the loci and regions of susceptibility genes have been identified through the efforts of dermatologists and geneticists, the precise location of psoriasis susceptibility genes, how the genes interact with each other and how environmental factors initiate susceptibility genes to cause the disease are being further investigated. Patients with a family history of psoriasis should standardize treatment, enhance physical fitness, relieve stress, avoid infections and drug allergies, so as to effectively control the development of psoriasis vulgaris to erythrodermic, arthritic and pustular psoriasis, maximize relief, prevent recurrence and improve patients’ quality of life. At present, the treatment methods we often use are mainly traditional Chinese medicine, various kinds of light therapy, medicinal bath, and local treatment, all of which receive good therapeutic effects. What other advice can you offer to psoriasis patients? Finally, Deputy Chief Physician Liu Guoyan also stressed that there are two extremes for many patients with psoriasis, one is over-treatment. Some patients have abnormal liver and kidney functions and blood system diseases, which seriously affect their health. The second is to give up treatment, part of the patients because of the treatment effect is not good, thus losing confidence, let it go, resulting in the gradual development of the disease, causing greater harm. If you suspect that you have psoriasis, you should first go to the dermatology department of a regular hospital to confirm the diagnosis; then the attending physician will make an individualized treatment plan for you and follow up regularly.