This quarter's issue of Dermatology Focus (a journal of the Dermatology Foundation) has an article on a colossal epidemiologic study of psoriasis in the US by Dr. Joel Gelfand. In the study, they contacted over 27.000 people and questioned them about psoriasis.
Of those called, 2.5% indicated they had been diagnosed with psoriasis by a doctor. Eighty one percent of these individuals completed a more in-depth survey. The average age was 47 years, and the average disease duration was 18.47 years. Even patients with just 1-2% of their body surface involved with psoriasis had a significant decrement in their quality of life (women more so than men). 11% of the respondants had been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis.
Dr. Gelfand then turned his sites on a database of 9 million patients, the U.K.'s General Practice Research Database (GPRD) which includes over 100,000 patients with psoriasis. Risks of lymphoma, heart disease and death for psoriasis patients was found to be elevated. Stay tuned for a broader review of general health problems associated with psoriasis..
