August 15, 2024 – Alexandria, Virginia
The National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) is pleased to announce the release of the first published report about the health impacts of psoriasis. The Psoriasis Health Indicator Report is a compendium of information and data on:
- Psoriasis – a chronic, systemic, inflammatory disease
- Health outcomes for people with psoriatic disease
- Screening and prevention of psoriasis comorbidities
- Treatment and management of psoriasis
- Health disparities among patients with psoriasis
To address the need for a national public health goal to guide improvements in psoriatic disease care and management, NPF developed the Psoriasis Health Indicator Report with input from many leading researchers and clinicians in the field of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The report was made possible as part of a three-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control that NPF received in 2021.
“Psoriasis and PsA are issues of public health. About 3% of the people in the U.S. live with psoriasis and are therefore at an increased risk for PsA, heart disease, metabolic issues, and mental health challenges,” says Leah M. Howard, J.D., the President and CEO of NPF. “This report will be a great tool for public health officials, health care providers, and researchers in our field to help them better understand the health impacts of this disease for the more than 8 million people in the U.S. living with psoriasis.”
Where possible, the authors of the report included data connecting psoriasis and its related conditions to existing national goals. Because publicly available national data on the health of individuals with psoriasis are very limited, authors were able to use a limited number of studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals that utilize publicly available national data on psoriasis, with the majority of data compiled in this report collected from published studies using other data sources, including:
- Patient registries
- Surveys of patients and providers
- Systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses
- Insurance claims databases
“This report is full of data that address a number of questions that health care providers, researchers, and patients have about psoriatic disease. Who gets psoriasis, and why? Why should public health officials be concerned with this disease? What impact does psoriasis have on youth?” says Guy Eakin, Ph.D., the Chief Scientific and Medical Officer for NPF. “In addition to addressing those frequently asked questions, one facet I appreciate the committee including in this report is the deep dive into the impact of health disparities in our community. We’re working hard on better treatments and eventually a cure, but it’s only a cure if it works for all people in all walks of life.” The Psoriasis Health Indicator Report is available online. In addition to data on prevalence, risk factors, and comorbidities, the report features segments on the public stigma and perception of psoriasis, the impact of the disease in the workplace or in community life, and the effects of psoriatic disease on a person’s quality of life.
About the National Psoriasis Foundation
The National Psoriasis Foundation has served the community of people impacted by psoriatic disease since 1967 with patient support, advocacy, research, and education. The mission of NPF is to drive efforts to cure psoriatic disease and improve the lives of more than 8 million individuals in the United States affected by this chronic immune-mediated disease. Learn more at psoriasis.org.