Global Survey Suggests Patients Have Loose Grasp of Psoriatic Disease

Although most patients with moderate to severe psoriasis had heard their condition was part of a systemic disease, many did not recognize potential comorbidities, according to study findings published online ahead of print in Dermatology. 

“These results highlight that patients may not fully understand the systemic nature of their disease, were frequently uninvolved in deciding treatment goals, and were often not satisfied with their current treatment,” researchers wrote.

The study included nearly 5000 patients with moderate to severe psoriasis who completed a quantitative online survey. Investigators were interested in assessing patients’ understanding of psoriatic disease and associated comorbidities, as well as the burden the disease posed and factors related to care. Respondents spanned 20 countries across North and South America, Australia, Asia, and Europe.

According to the study, 69% of participants had heard their psoriasis was part of a systemic disease, and 60% had heard the term psoriatic disease. 

“Despite this,” researchers reported, “recognition of common manifestations and comorbidities associated with psoriatic disease was low.”

Some 30% of patients reported having concomitant psoriatic arthritis, the study found. Among the other 70%, however, 38% screened positive for potential psoriatic arthritis on the Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool.

Nearly half of all respondents said their disease had a very or extremely large effect on quality of life. Additionally, 82% of patients said they had experienced stigma and discrimination, and 81% of patients said their disease hurt their relationships. 

When it came to deciding treatment goals, 59% of patients said they had no involvement. Among all patients receiving treatment, 58% were satisfied with their current treatment. Satisfaction was 64% among patients with concomitant psoriatic arthritis. 

“Increasing patients’ participation in their care can facilitate shared decision-making between patients and health care professionals, which may result in better treatment adherence and patient outcomes,” researchers advised. “Furthermore, these data indicate that policies should be implemented to protect against stigma and discrimination, which are commonly experienced by patients with psoriasis.”

Reference: 
Armstrong AW, Bohannan B, Mburu S, et al. Patient perspectives on psoriatic disease burden: results from the global psoriasis and beyond survey. Dermatology. Published online April 19, 2023. doi:10.1159/000528945