Apprehension of the disease by patients suffering from psoriasis

INTRODUCTION Psoriasis affects about 1-2% of the entire population. Due to its chronicity and relapsing course, psoriasis has a great influence on patients' quality of life and psychological status. AIM To evaluate apprehensaion of the disease by psoriatic patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS One hundred psoriasis patients (36 females, 64 males; mean age 47.3 ±15.8 years) were enrolled. Mean psoriasis severity assessed according to PASI was 17.1 ±10.0 points. Each participant underwent a careful physical examination and completed a specially designed questionnaire containing questions about perception of psoriasis severity, disease aggravating factors, most bothersome symptoms, possible causes of psoriasis and treatment efficacy. RESULTS A correlation between patients' psoriasis assessment and objective measurement of disease intensity by PASI was weak, albeit significant (ρ = 0.37, p < 0.001). A total of 49% of patients indicated that psoriasis had an enormous negative impact on their life and 40% declared that psoriasis decreased their self-esteem. Patients with decreased self-esteem were significantly younger and more frequently employed. A marked portion of patients believed that their disease will be cured in the future. Patients expecting a rapid cure of disease had experienced a later disease onset and suffered from psoriasis significantly shorter. The most burdensome symptoms of psoriasis were intense epidermal scaling (66% of responders), itching (65%), skin redness (51%), burning (44%), dandruff (38%), and nail abnormalities (37%). CONCLUSIONS Psoriasis may negatively affect patients' everyday life, but the degree of that influence and the level of psoriasis understanding depend on various clinical parameters as well as on demographic characteristics.