UPLIFT Survey Results: Patient Perceptions of Psoriatic Disease

A recent study published in Dermatology and Therapy found patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) undergo high disease burden even with limited skin involvement, according to reports from the population-based UPLIFT survey.

The purpose of the UPLIFT survey was to record perceptions from dermatologists and their patients with mild to moderate psoriasis and/or PsA regarding evolutions in treatment-related outcomes. Researchers conducted the survey from March 2 to June 3, 2020, in North America, Europe, and Japan. Participants included adult patients with self-reported healthcare practitioner (HCP)-diagnosed psoriasis and/or PsA in addition to dermatologists who spend more than 50% of their time treating patients and who treat at least 20 patients with psoriasis and/or PsA per month. Researchers recruited patient participants via random online panels while dermatologists were randomly chosen from representative physician panels.

The survey received 264,054 patient responses, with 3806 of self-reported HCP-diagnosed psoriasis and/or PsA included in the final sample. Of that number, 67% of patients had psoriasis alone, 28% with psoriasis and PsA, and 5% with PsA alone. About 78% of patients reported a psoriasis-involved body surface area (BSA) of no more than 3 palms, and about 90% reported itching, redness, flaking, and scales. It was reported that 63% of patients with psoriasis who were not diagnosed with PsA reported musculoskeletal symptoms. Additionally, about one in four patients reported they were not receiving treatment across BSA categories, and more than 50% had a Dermatology Life Quality Index score greater than 5. The results also found that patients differed from dermatologists in perceptions of psoriasis severity alongside office visit discussions, treatment goals, and treatment satisfaction.

The authors noted that the survey was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have affected patient-reported outcomes and in-person HCP visits. They concluded that there is an opportunity to “align patient and dermatologist perceptions to optimize management of [psoriasis] and PsA.”

Reference
Lebwohl M, Langley RG, Paul C, et al. Evolution of patient perceptions of psoriatic disease: results from the Understanding Psoriatic Disease Leveraging Insights for Treatment (UPLIFT) survey. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). Published online October 25, 2021. doi:10.1007/s13555-021-00635-4