Psoriasis is a skin condition that is not contagious, but it is like a time bomb in every person that can be triggered at any moment, chairman of the Department of Dermatology Dr Lawrence Scerri said yesterday.

Dr Scerri forms part of the committee of the Psoriasis Association Malta (PAM), which was set up about two years ago and will be marking World Psoriasis Day on Sunday.

World Psoriasis Day started being commemorated three years ago to give an international voice to the 125 million people who suffer from psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis.

PAM president Moira Ferry said that although awareness on psoriasis is a relatively recent phenomenon, research carried out by the association shows that this condition has existed since the time of the Egyptian mummies.

While psoriasis is controllable and can be treated in different ways depending on the severity of the case, it is not curable. It is a dry, scaly skin condition in which cells are produced too quickly.

Normally, skin cells take between 21 and 28 days to replace themselves; in psoriasis sufferers, they take between two and six days.

Psoriasis affects approximately two per cent of the global population and it is estimated that around the same percentage of sufferers exists in Malta.

By means of its affiliation with international associations, PAM has managed to obtain EU funding to carry out surveys and studies on the incidence of the condition in Malta.

Although only around 130 people have joined PAM since its conception, Ms Ferry said the association’s website had 2,000 hits this month.

“This means there are many sufferers out there who are not comfortable about their condition and it isn’t easy for them to reveal their identity with the association,” Ms Ferry said, adding that PAM wants to provide comprehensive information to psoriasis sufferers in order to increase their understanding and acceptance of the condition.

Among other aims and objectives, the association wants to establish a point of social contact and support to members, encourage and promote further research about psoriasis in the medical field and generate the necessary funds to further the aims of the association.

The association’s public relations officer, Lucienne Tabone said that as a result of the lack of awareness on the condition, those suffering from psoriasis can experience social exclusion and discrimination.

The condition can also have a strong psychological impact.

Ms Tabone said that while psoriasis may be inherited, it may be triggered by a number of factors like stress, trauma, infection and even certain medicines.

Dr Scerri added that it can be triggered off in any person at any time, but it most often develops in people between 11 and 45 years old.

Between 10 and 30 per cent of psoriasis sufferers go on to develop psoriatic arthritis – a specific type of arthritis that causes pain and inflammation in and around the joints.

Dr Scerri said that one of the most effective ways of treating psoriasis is moderate exposure to the sun’s UV rays in a controlled manner.

While poor diagnosis and treatment for psoriasis means that many people suffer in silence, new biological therapies have recently been introduced to give new hope to people suffering from the condition.

Ms Ferry said the association is planning to embark on an awareness programme for children – who suffer a lot as a result of this condition, since bullying gets worse – next month, but PAM is calling for more volunteers, since it lacks human resources to further its aims.

More information on psoriasis and the local association may be obtained from www.pam.org.mt, while further information on World Psoriasis Day may be obtained from www.world psoriasisday.com.