The Clinical Profile of Patients with Psoriasis in Korea: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study (EPI-PSODE)

Abstract

BackgroundPsoriasis 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.ObjectiveTo understand nationwide epidemiologic characteristics and clinical features of adult patients with psoriasis visited university hospitals in Korea.MethodsThis 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.ResultsA 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.ConclusionThis 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.

The relationship between clinical characteristics including presence of exposed lesions and health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with psoriasis: analysis from the nationwide epidemiologic study for psoriasis in Korea (EPI‐PSODE study)

“…The EPI‐PSODE study was a nationwide, multicenter, non‐interventional, cross‐sectional study examining the epidemiology of psoriasis in Korea conducted by the Korean Society for Psoriasis (KSP). The 25 centres participating in the study were university hospitals located across the country.…”

“…In this study, patient‐reported outcomes related to HRQoL, including DLQI, were collected in a nationwide study that described the epidemiologic characteristics and clinical features of patients with psoriasis in Korea . We sought to ascertain the relationship between clinical characteristics and HRQoL.…”

Increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease among patients with psoriasis in Korea: A 15‐year nationwide population‐based cohort study

“…To the best of our knowledge, this is the first, largest and longest observational cohort study unveiling direct association between psoriasis and an increased risk of ASCVD comorbidities among Asians. Considering the relatively lower prevalence of psoriasis in Asian countries including Korea (0.3–0.4% prevalence rate), the results from our large‐scale cohort enabled us to assess the significant risk for ASCVD in Korean psoriatic patients from more than 1.7 million enrolled participants.…”

“…Psoriasis is an immune‐mediated inflammatory skin disorder characterized by erythematous scaly plaques of chronic nature . It affects approximately 1–5% of the Western population, but its prevalence in the Asian population is reported to be lower than 1% . The major underlying immunopathogenesis of psoriasis consists of the immune cell‐derived interleukin (IL)‐23–IL‐17 cytokine axis which mediates dysregulated hyperproliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes .…”

“…1 It affects approximately 1-5% of the Western population, but its prevalence in the Asian population is reported to be lower than 1%. 2,3 The major underlying immunopathogenesis of psoriasis consists of the immune cell-derived interleukin (IL)-23-IL-17 cytokine axis which mediates dysregulated hyperproliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes. 4 In addition, other pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1b, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-a are also highly expressed in the psoriatic lesions, which synergistically drive chronic psoriatic immune reactions in a "feed forward" manner.…”