Like many people, when I can’t sleep, I turn on reality television for a mindless distraction. Unfortunately, that did not work well a couple of weeks ago.
While watching reruns of Keeping Up with the Kardashians (please, don’t judge!) I stumbled on the episode in which Kim Kardashian develops psoriasis and discovers her mother had it as well. Any plans to fall asleep evaporated ““ I never realized psoriasis was a genetic disease, but I clearly remember my father developing it when he was in his early 30s. Since I recently celebrated my 29th birthday, I immediately started to wonder whether this was in my future as well.
For those unfamiliar with the disease, psoriasis is caused by an autoimmune disorder that leads to red, scaling skin and inflammation.
When my furious Google-ing only led to more panic ““ did I mention stress is a psoriasis trigger? ““ I decided to put it out of my head until I could address the problem with a doctor.
At my next appointment, I shared the whole story ““ embarrassing reality television addiction and all. My biggest question was, is this an inevitable outcome for me? The answer, not necessarily. People with one parent who have psoriasis have a 10 percent chance of developing the disease. If both parents are diagnosed, the likelihood jumps to 50 percent.
My next question was about prevention ““ can I do something to avoid it altogether? While there is nothing I can do to completely prevent psoriasis, treatment options have improved greatly since my father developed the disease in the 1980s. From topical treatments and light therapy to an anti-inflammatory diet and immunosuppressants, I have a variety of options depending on the severity of scaling, should it occur at all.
Bottom line: my chances are still low and treatment options have come a long way. Even more importantly, I realized why I should ask my doctor about those nagging ““ and potentially embarrassing ““ health questions I may have. As uncomfortable as the conversation was, I do not need to have this worry sticking in the back of my mind. I’m not pre-destined to develop psoriasis and even if I do, I can live a pretty normal life.
Maybe next time I can’t sleep, I’ll just watch Top Chef instead.
