Dry eye common with psoriasis

[littlemermaid]

http://blog.bostonsight.org/index.ph...sis-diagnosis/ 'Autoimmune conditions are rising rapidly in the United States and are now among the most common health diagnoses. Current estimates suggest that nearly 8% of the population has an autoimmune disease—between 14.7 and 23.5 million people in total. For many who have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, accompanying ocular involvement is not uncommon. Recent research has identified dry eye as one of the most common ocular complications in patients with psoriasis.'

[lizlou29]

http://blog.bostonsight.org/index.ph...sis-diagnosis/ 'Autoimmune conditions are rising rapidly in the United States and are now among the most common health diagnoses. Current estimates suggest that nearly 8% of the population has an autoimmune disease—between 14.7 and 23.5 million people in total. For many who have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, accompanying ocular involvement is not uncommon. Recent research has identified dry eye as one of the most common ocular complications in patients with psoriasis.'

I have psoriasis, only a little on my foot. First noticed it when my eyes got worse. I also have thyroid issues, likely Sjogren's and Raynaud's. Been reading a few books on autoimmune conditions and it's quite enlightening.

[alisonW]

I get psoriasis on my fingernails (very mild pitting) and also have Raynaud's + Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Which books do you like lizlou29? Thanks for posting about the connection littlemermaid.

[lizlou29]

AlisonW - I'm currently reading 'The Immune System Recovery Plan' by Susan Blum M.D. I read 'The Autoimmune Epidemic' by Donna Jackson Nakazawa. Not saying I agree with everything they are saying but it is food for thought.

[alisonW]

Thank you lizlou29!

[dryeyedave]

AlisonW - I'm currently reading 'The Immune System Recovery Plan' by Susan Blum M.D. I read 'The Autoimmune Epidemic' by Donna Jackson Nakazawa. Not saying I agree with everything they are saying but it is food for thought.

Does Dr. Blum link or suspect a link between vaccines and auto-immune diseases?

[lizlou29]

Hi Dryeyedave. She makes a possible link between the mercury or aluminum used in some vaccines and suggests to look for mercury-fee vaccines if possible. She does make it clear that she isn't anti-vaccines as they are necessary as a public health measure.

[lizlou29]

Interesting research http://www.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsre...ROcenters.aspx

[NotADryEye]

Hi Dryeyedave. She makes a possible link between the mercury or aluminum used in some vaccines and suggests to look for mercury-fee vaccines if possible. She does make it clear that she isn't anti-vaccines as they are necessary as a public health measure.

Sadly there is no way to really know if there is 100.000000% no mercury or thimerosal in vaccines:

From the FDA site http://www.fda.gov/biologicsbloodvac.../ucm070430.htm

Why are some vaccines noted to be "thimerosal-free" while some are "thimerosal-reduced"? What is the difference between "thimerosal-free" and "preservative-free"?

Thimerosal may be added at the end of the manufacturing process to act as a preservative to prevent bacterial or fungal growth in the event that the vaccine is accidentally contaminated, as might occur with repeated puncture of multi-dose vials. When thimerosal is used as preservative in vaccines, it is present in concentrations up to 0.01% (50 micrograms thimerosal per 0.5 mL dose or 25 micrograms mercury per 0.5 mL dose). In some cases, thimerosal is used during the manufacturing process and is present in small amounts in the final vaccine (1 micrograms mercury or less per dose).

The term "preservative-free" indicates that no preservative (thimerosal or otherwise) is used in the vaccine; however, traces used during the manufacturing process may be present in the final formulation. For example, some vaccines may be preservative-free but may contain traces of thimerosal (1 micrograms mercury or less per dose); in such settings, this information is noted in the package insert. Similarly, the term "thimerosal-reduced" usually indicates that thimerosal is not added as a vaccine preservative, but trace amounts (1 micrograms mercury per dose or less) may remain from use in the manufacturing process. Such trace amounts are not felt to be clinically significant, nor would they result in exposure exceeding any federal guideline for mercury exposure. Vaccines may be termed "thimerosal-free" if no thimerosal can be measured; i.e., thimerosal content is below the limit of detection.