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Psoriasis Cure Now launches “Back to School” resources for parents of children with psoriasis
(August 16, 2006) Psoriasis Cure Now, a nonprofit patient advocacy group, today released two important new resources to help parents of children with psoriasis as their kids head back to school. The group’s latest podcast includes an interview with a leading pediatric dermatologist discussing how to treat psoriasis in children and how to help them cope with it; and the group released a fact sheet on psoriasis in children that parents can print off the internet and deliver to their child’s school teacher. These resources and more are available at www.PsoriasisKids.org.
“As someone who was covered with psoriasis at age 15, I know the pain and distress it can cause anyone, particularly children,” said singer-songwriter Kevin Burdick of Salt Lake City, Utah, whose “In Your Cocoon” is excerpted on the podcast. “Educating teachers about this disease is critically important and parents should make sure they print out this fact sheet and get it in the hands of their kids’ teachers.”
The podcast interview is with Amy Paller, MD, the Walter J. Hamlin Professor and Chair of Dermatology, Professor of Pediatrics, at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Paller is one of the nation’s leading pediatric dermatologists and an expert on psoriasis in children. She offers a wealth of information in this interview, including treatment strategies for psoriasis in children, what to tell a child’s teacher about the disease, and how to address the emotional impact of psoriasis that can significantly impair a child’s quality of life.
The back to school fact sheet about psoriasis in children is designed for parents to print off the internet and give to their child’s teacher, coaches, school nurse and others who interact with their child during the school day. The fact sheet was crafted by Psoriasis Cure Now with input by parents of children with psoriasis, teachers, people who had psoriasis as children and a dermatologist with extensive experience treating psoriasis. The fact sheet is free from PsoriasisKids.org, where parents can also find additional resources about psoriasis in children.
“Too often, children are the forgotten psoriasis sufferers,” said Michael Paranzino, president of Psoriasis Cure Now and someone whose psoriasis started in high school. “Psoriasis medications are seldom FDA-approved for children and the literature is likewise typically focused on adults, leaving parents of children with psoriasis struggling to help their children manage this painful disease. As children with psoriasis head back to school, these resources will help their parents reach out to educators to increase awareness and understanding of the unique challenges faced by kids with psoriasis. The podcast with Dr. Paller is must-listening for parents, and the psoriasis fact sheet should be packed along with lunch for the first day of school.”
Hundreds of thousands of American children have psoriasis, a non-contagious disease of the immune system that causes skin cells to replicate too quickly, producing dry skin that can itch, crack, bleed and be quite painful. A recent study in the British Journal of Dermatology found that children with psoriasis report impairment in their quality of life that equals the impairment reported by children with other chronic illnesses such as epilepsy, diabetes and asthma.
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