Psoriasis? Or something else?

[virginiawoolf]

Hi folks,

Please bear with me, this may be a bit lengthy, but we need all the help we can get.  A couple of weeks ago, while working out of town, my boyfriend had what appeared to be a case of strep throat.  I advised him to see a doctor, which he did.  However, the doctor said he couldn't see anything in my boyfriend's throat -- no white patches or pus -- and sent him home without a prescription.  A few days went by and the pain migrated from one side of his throat to the other.  After about a week, it appeared to clear up on its own.  Just a couple of days later, my boyfriend's skin erupted into angry red bumps.  His arms are simply covered in them and he has them on his back, chest, arms, legs and even on his scalp.  I'd estimate that at the very least 10% of his body is covered in these bumps.  He subsequently saw another doctor who prescribed a topical corticosteroid which appeared to worsen the situation over the next few days.  A return visit to this doctor saw him leave with a prescription for Prednisone.  All of this makes me extremely nervous and afraid because I know that prednisone has some very serious side effects.  Now that he's been taking the prednisone for about 3 or 4 days, the red bumps on his skin are becoming scalier and turning a whitish/silver color.  Is this normal?  Is this a sign of healing taking place?  Does anyone have any advice that might help us?  This condition is seriously affecting his morale and the itch is just about driving him crazy.  We're both pretty stressed right now, so any help you could give us would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

[jagesh50]

The features you mention are classical of guttate psoriasis,and would respond eminently to antibiotics.It is likely to be self limiting.I do not prefer steroids in this case,but that should not deter you to discontinue,for steroid once started has to be phased out.