Living with psoriasis.

Background Psoriasis has a strong impact on quality of life and the viewpoints of patients and physicians are necessary for satisfactory therapy. Aim To inform dermatologists on what represents ‘living with psoriasis’. Methods We conducted a research using Medline with the following keywords: psoriasis, quality of life. Forty-one papers were selected from a total of 369 papers. Results As with other major medical chronic disorders, psoriasis has a severe impact on the life of patients. Patients with palmoplantar, pustular and arthropathic psoriasis are more likely to have a poorer quality of life. Emotionally charged body regions, e.g. the scalp, face, neck, forearms, hands and genital region, have a specific and significant impact. Living with psoriasis is to live with its symptoms, especially pruritus, and to live in vulnerable social isolation. Conclusions As psoriasis has a strong impact on quality of life because of extensive skin involvement, clinical management should take these two criteria into account when making therapeutic decisions. The strong impact of new treatments on patient-related outcomes probably leads to the conclusion that they improve life with psoriasis. Nevertheless, it is important to highlight that even a successful treatment does not impact on the psychological distress of the patients, the patients’ beliefs about psoriasis or their coping with the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]