The Clinical Profile of Patients with Psoriasis in Korea: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study (EPI-PSODE)
Authors
Hae Jun Song ; Chul Jong Park ; Tae Yoon Kim ; Yong Beom Choe ; Seok-Jong Lee ; Nack In Kim ; Jae We Cho ; Jie Hyun Jeon ; Min Soo Jang ; Jai Il Youn ; Myung Hwa Kim ; Joonsoo Park ; Ki Ho Kim ; Byung Soo Kim ; Sang Woong Youn ; Joo-Heung Lee ; Min-Geol Lee ; Sung Ku Ahn ; Young Ho Won ; Seok Kweon Yun ; Bong Seok Shin ; Seong Jun Seo ; Ji Yeoun Lee ; Kwang Joong Kim ; Young Suck Ro ; Youngdoe Kim ; Dae Young Yu ; Jee-Ho Choi
BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is an immune-mediated, chronic inflammatory disease affecting multiple aspects of patients' lives. Its epidemiology varies regionally; however, nationwide epidemiologic data on psoriasis depicting profile of Korean patients has not been available to date.
OBJECTIVE: To understand nationwide epidemiologic characteristics and clinical features of adult patients with psoriasis visited university hospitals in Korea.
METHODS: This multicenter, non-interventional, cross-sectional study recruited 1,278 adult patients with psoriasis across 25 centers in Korea in 2013. Various clinical data including PASI, BSA, DLQI, SF-36 and PASE were collected.
RESULTS: A total of 1,260 patients completed the study (male:female=1.47:1). The mean age was 47.0 years with a distribution mostly in the 50s (24.9%). Early onset (<40 years) of psoriasis accounted for 53.9% of patients. The mean disease duration was 109.2 months; mean body mass index was 23.9 kg/m2; and 12.7% of patients had a family history of psoriasis. Plaque and guttate types of psoriasis accounted for 85.8% and 8.4%, respectively. Patients with PASI ≥10 accounted for 24.9%; patients with body surface area ≥10 were 45.9%. Patients with DLQI ≥6 accounted for 78.8%. Between PASI <10 and PASI ≥10 groups, significant difference was noted in age at diagnosis, disease duration, blood pressure, waist circumference of female, and treatment experiences with phototherapy, systemic agents, and biologics.
CONCLUSION: This was the first nationwide epidemiologic study of patients with psoriasis in Korea and provides an overview of the epidemiologic characteristics and clinical profiles of this patient population.