The global, regional, and national burden of psoriasis in 195 countries and territories, 1990 to 2017: A systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background

Few existing studies on the global incidence, prevalence, and burden of disease from psoriasis are of high quality, making reliable data and comparisons difficult to find.

Methods

We analyzed global psoriasis trends from 1990 to 2017 in 195 countries worldwide through the Global Burden of Disease Study database, including age-standardized prevalence rates, percent change in age-standardized prevalence rates, age and sex patterns, and psoriasis burden using disability-adjusted life years.

Results

The age-specific prevalence rate in 2017 showed a left-skewed distribution with a peak between 60 and 70 years of age and a roughly equal male-to-female ratio across all ages. Psoriasis burden was greatest in countries with high income and high sociodemographic index. A positive linear relationship between psoriasis prevalence and comorbidities is seen with cardiovascular disease (R = .67), mental health (R = .63), type 2 diabetes mellitus (R = .55), stroke (R = .51), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (R = .84), Hodgkin lymphoma (R = .77), nonmelanoma skin cancer (R = .68), and inflammatory bowel disease (R = .55) across all countries in 2017.

Conclusion

There is increasing prevalence, burden, and associated comorbidities of psoriasis on a global scale and the need for support to reduce this important global health disparity.