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Survey highlights unmet needs of psoriasis, PsA patients

Several unmet needs were identified in a recent large, multinational survey of patients with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis.

Researchers conducted a population-based telephone survey of patients with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK between June and August 2012. The survey selected patients by list-assisted random digit dialing who did not have to be under a clinician’s care or receiving treatment. Of 139,948 households contacted, 3,426 patients (mean age, 54.8 years; 59.1% women) completed the survey.

The population prevalence of psoriasis and/or PsA ranged from 1.4% in Spain to 3.3% in Canada, with 1.9% overall population prevalence for participants. Seventy-nine percent of patients had psoriasis alone, while 21% experienced PsA with or without psoriasis.

Twenty-seven percent of patients with psoriasis and 53% of patients with psoriasis and/or PsA rated the worst of their disease as severe. Itching (43%), scales (23%) and flaking (20%) were considered the most bothersome signs or symptoms by psoriasis patients, and 45% of them had not seen a physician in 1 year. More than 80% of patients with psoriasis with at least four palms body surface area and 59% of the PsA cohort were receiving no treatment or only topical treatment. Fifty-seven percent of patients had discontinued oral therapy, and 45% discontinued biologic treatment due to safety and tolerability and a lack or loss of efficacy.

“The … survey highlights the importance of screening and assessment of psoriasis patients for symptoms of PsA, the need to establish patient-specific treatment goals — which ensure optimal treatment regimens and realistic expectations with regard to the effectiveness and tolerability of available treatments — and the ongoing need for safe and effective therapies for patients with psoriasis and PsA,” the researchers concluded.

Disclosure: See the study for a full list of relevant disclosures.