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Annual US cost for psoriasis topped $100 billion in 2013

The annual health care cost in the U.S. for adults with psoriasis was more than $100 billion in 2013 and was significantly greater than for the general population, according to recent systematic review results.

April W. Armstrong, MD, MPH, and colleagues searched PubMed and Medline databases between Jan. 1, 2008, and Sept. 20, 2013, for economic investigations on the direct, indirect, intangible and comorbidity costs of adult psoriasis in the United States. To determine the cost burden of psoriasis in 2013, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers was used to adjust base year costs to 2013 U.S. dollars then multiplied by the estimated number of patients with psoriasis in 2013. Twenty-two studies were included in the review.

April W. Armstrong

The researchers found direct costs related to psoriasis ranged from $51.7 billion to $63.2 billion, and indirect costs ranged from $23.9 billion to $35.4 billion. Additionally, contributions due to medical comorbidities were estimated at $36.4 billion annually, according to the researchers.

The lifetime cost for patients with psoriasis for relief of physical symptoms and emotional health was estimated at $11,498, with unlimited intangible cost data. The annual U.S. cost of psoriasis in 2013 was estimated to between approximately $112 billion and $135 billion.

Disclosure: Armstrong reports serving as investigator or consultant to AbbVie, Amgen, Celgene, Janssen, Lilly, Merck, Pfizer and UCB. No other disclosures were reported.