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Socio-economic status and severity of plaque psoriasis: a cross-sectional study in the metropolitan city of Bologna

  • Clinical Report
  • Published:
European Journal of Dermatology

Abstract

Background

Only a limited amount of data is available on the demographic and socio-economic status of psoriasis patients and its correlation with disease severity and impact on quality of life.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the socio-economic status of psoriasis patients is associated with higher PASI (Psoriasis Area Severity Index) and DLQI (Dermatology Life Quality Index) scores and global severity of disease.

Materials and Methods

A total of 300 adults with plaque psoriasis, attending our psoriasis clinic for the first time (January 2015 to April 2018), were included in the study. Severity of psoriasis was defined according to three different definitions: PASI 10, DLQI 10, and global severity based on the “Rule of tens” 10%. The three outcomes were compared between patients with mild psoriasis and those with moderate-to-severe psoriasis using the t-test and χ2-test. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between each of the three outcomes and clinical and socio-economic features.

Results

Patients with lower educational level, employed in manual or office work, and with lower income were more likely to have moderate-to-severe psoriasis, considering the PASI and DLQI scores separately and the global severity of disease. The association between severity of disease and income was also significant based on multiple regression models.

Conclusion

This study confirms the negative association between psoriasis severity and socio-economic status and is aimed at raising awareness among health professionals to investigate and consider this aspect in the management and therapeutic decisions in affected patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Division of Dermatology, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy

    Federico Bardazzi, Vera Tengattini, Lidia Sacchelli, Annalisa Patrizi & Federica Filippi

  2. Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Division of Hygiene and Biostatistics, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Paola Rucci & Marica Iommi

Authors
  1. Federico Bardazzi
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  2. Vera Tengattini
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  3. Paola Rucci
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  4. Marica Iommi
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  5. Lidia Sacchelli
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  6. Annalisa Patrizi
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  7. Federica Filippi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Annalisa Patrizi.

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Bardazzi, F., Tengattini, V., Rucci, P. et al. Socio-economic status and severity of plaque psoriasis: a cross-sectional study in the metropolitan city of Bologna. Eur J Dermatol 29, 197–202 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1684/ejd.2019.3524

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1684/ejd.2019.3524

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