Large number of adults have undiagnosed psoriasis

As many as 3.2 million adult Americans are living with undiagnosed psoriasis, estimates a new study published in the November 2008 online edition of the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology.

Researchers Shanu Kohli Kurd, M.H.S., and Joel M. Gelfand, M.D., M.S.C.E, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pa., wanted to determine "the extent to which psoriasis remains undiagnosed in the general population" because psoriasis can often lead to the development of other serious diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease.

Using data from the 2003-04 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the researchers found that the number of people with psoriasis who are undiagnosed remains high. Additionally, the study found that those with undiagnosed psoriasis are more likely to be male, unmarried, nonwhite and less educated.

"This data significantly advance our knowledge of the prevalence of psoriasis," said Dr. Gelfand, a member of the National Psoriasis Foundation Medical Board. "It is the first study, to my knowledge, that estimates the number of Americans with undiagnosed psoriasis."

The National Psoriasis Foundation encourages those with psoriasis or suspected psoriasis to seek diagnosis and treatment from a dermatologist.

The Psoriasis Foundation helped set the stage for this study by arranging a teleconference with top epidemiologists from around the country and staff members from the National Center for Health Statistics. During that meeting, the researchers became aware of available data that subsequently became the focus of the study.

Read the survey abstract.