Are patients with psoriasis undertreated? Results of National Psoriasis Foundation survey

ObjectiveWe sought to assess whether patients with psoriasis with moderate or severe disease are being treated with systemic therapy.MethodsParticipants were identified from a random sample of the National Psoriasis Foundation contact database who were 18 years and older, with severe psoriasis (>10% body surface area) and moderate psoriasis (3%-10% body surface area); respondents with psoriatic arthritis were excluded.ResultsIn all, 1657 respondents with psoriasis completed the survey (28% severe, 41% moderate). A total of 39% of respondents with severe psoriasis and 37% with moderate psoriasis were not currently receiving any treatment. Among respondents currently receiving therapy, only 43% of respondents with severe psoriasis received either traditional systemic therapy, biologic therapy, or phototherapy.LimitationsRespondents were from the National Psoriasis Foundation contact database and reported their current severity, which may be affected by their treatment. Body surface area as a measure of patient-reported severity has not been validated but has been used in several published studies.ConclusionsAlmost 40% of respondents with psoriasis were currently not receiving treatment. For respondents with severe psoriasis, 26% were treated with systemic therapy, phototherapy, or both; 39% were not in treatment; and 35% were treated with topical therapy alone.