Outcomes

Data captured in the survey included the following: demographic parameters (age, gender); disease profile (duration of the disease, severity); body surface area (BSA%); [Physician’s Global Assessment/Investigator’s Global Assessment (PGA/IGA) indices]; medical history (previous and current treatment regimens); current symptoms (e.g. itching, flaking, inflamed skin, skin pain, scaling); and comorbid conditions (PsA, CVD, obesity, T2D and anxiety or depression).

Psoriasis severity was evaluated via the absolute Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score as reported by the dermatologist, and was categorized into clear/almost clear (PASI ≤ 5), mild (5 < PASI ≤ 10), moderate (10 < PASI ≤ 20) or severe (PASI > 20). As systemic treatments are indicated for moderate-to-severe patients, moderate and severe psoriasis cases were combined in the analysis into a ‘moderate-to-severe’ category (PASI > 10).

Patient-reported QoL was assessed using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) [23]. The DLQI is a dermatology-specific measure of a patient’s health-related QoL. Impairment of work and daily activities due to psoriasis was assessed using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) questionnaire [24]. The WPAI assesses overall work impairment, work time missed (absenteeism), time impaired while at work (presenteeism) and activity impairment over the previous 7 days. Work productivity loss is expressed as a combination of absenteeism and presenteeism. Patients who reported “currently not in employment” provided data only for the activity impairment domain.

Patient/dermatologist concordance was defined as both the patient and dermatologist providing identical answers to the same survey question. Patient/dermatologist concordance was assessed on the following survey questions, which were asked to both the patient and the dermatologist:

Psoriasis severity, based on the 5-point IGA/PGA scale (clear/almost clear—1 or 2; mild—3; moderate to severe—4 or 5)

Absence or presence of symptoms (scaling, itching, inflamed skin, flaking, painful skin, joint pain, cracked skin, burning, onycholysis, nail deformation and bleeding)

Extent of itch and skin pain, on a scale from 1 (almost no itch/skin pain) to 10 (worst imaginable itch/skin pain)

Satisfaction with overall control of psoriasis achieved, on a scale from 1 (not at all satisfied) to 7 (completely satisfied)