Quality of life in patients with psoriasis in northern Taiwan.

BACKGROUND Psoriasis has a significant negative impact on quality of life. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with the quality of life of patients with psoriasis in Taiwan. METHODS A retrospective study analyzing data from psoriasis patients who visited the outpatient clinics in the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Taipei, Taoyuan and Keelung from July 2009 to January 2010 was performed. RESULTS A total of 480 patients who had completed the assessment of disease severity and the dermatology life quality index (DLQI) questionnaire were analyzed. Of these patients, 67.5% were men. The mean score on the DLQI was 9.16 ± 6.3 and 67% of all patients reported a moderate to extremely large impact on their quality of life (DLQI > 6). A higher psoriasis area and severity index (PASI), younger age and initial lesions on the nails significantly negatively impacted patients' quality of life. Smoking, alcohol intake and gender were also weakly correlated. CONCLUSION The clinical severity, age and site of initial lesions are associated with negative impacts on the quality of life of patients with psoriasis. These findings provide significant new insights into factors that affect the life quality of patients with psoriasis in Taiwan.