Graduate Thesis Project.

PROBLEM
Psoriasis is a moderately recognized chronic illness that causes rapid build up of cells due to constant inflammation.

It most commonly affects skin and nails, resulting in moderate to severe lesions that itch, burn, bleed, and flake. Sufferers can experience pain, discomfort, hair loss, discoloration, and nail breakage/loss in addition to non-physical symptoms including anxiety and depression. In addition, close to 30% of sufferers develop psoriatic arthritis which includes painful flares that may cause swelling, discomfort, loss of mobility and deformed limbs.

Both conditions are progressive and require often life-altering treatments including steroidal rotations, biologic infusions/injections that compromise the immune system and small dosages of chemotherapy agents. Psoriatic disease also puts patients at higher risk for some cancers, heart disease, diabetes, other autoimmune diseases and mental illness. Flares are often triggered by stress, diet, medications, alcohol, weather changes, injuries/bodily trauma, infections, and hormones (especially pregnancy).

“COMMON PUBLIC PERCEPTION IS THAT PSORIATIC DISEASE IS PRIMARILY A SKIN PROBLEM THAT CAN BE MANAGED BY TOPICALS UNDER THE WATCH OF A DERMATOLOGIST”

The fact of the matter is that it is a serious, lifelong, autoimmune disease that must be treated in a complex, holistic matter. There are several organizations trying improve the management of psoriatic disease, but most focus on the skin and arthritic components separately. It is little known that over a quarter of the sufferers develop the arthritis and how life-altering it can potentially be. It is even lesser known to the public what risks sufferers must take in order to manage their disease, and that the consequences of poor management can be severe.

SOLUTION
The Psoriassist app aims to tackle psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis as a unit (“psoriatic disease,”) to help elevate the seriousness of proper treatment and educate sufferers. It uses research from the National Psoriasis Foundation and American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)’s newly released treatment guidelines - the first in 10 years.

Psoriassist generates considerations for Skin, Joints, Wellness, and Nutrition in combination with gathering metrics specific to the patient’s unique medical history. Data collected during an on-boarding period helps generate notifications curated for that specific patient’s needs. The patient may activate the menu at any time to update information and will be reminded once a month. The Dashboard feature generates an easy-to-read color coded summary to help the patient manage their disease.

WHY PSORIATIC DISEASE?
I was diagnosed with psoriatic disease at the age of 12 and have since then been exposed to dozens of treatment methods that I never could have anticipated upon that initial trip to the dermatologist. I’ve discovered societal labeling of the disease as a “skin problem” often distorts people’s perception of its seriousness making effective treatment less frequent. Psoriassist was designed with the intent to help empower patients and medical staff to treat the disease with a more effective, holistic outlook.