Patients with Psoriasis Face Higher Risk of Depression and Anxiety

New research suggests that patients with psoriasis “appear to have an increased risk of depression, anxiety and suicidality.” According to a news release from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and University of Pennsylvania Health System, researchers who studied electronic medical records from more than 750,000 patients in the UK, including more than 145,000 with mild psoriasis and nearly 4,000 who were diagnosed with severe psoriasis, found that patients with psoriasis have an increased risk of depression, anxiety and suicidality (clinical status determined based on the presence of diagnostic codes for depression, anxiety, and/or suicidality in the patients’ records).

The researchers found that “excess risk attributable to psoriasis is one case of depression for every 39 patients with severe psoriasis per year,” and once case of depression “for every 87 patients in patients with mild psoriasis per year.” Excess risk for anxiety and suicidality in patients with psoriasis is one case of anxiety per 123 patient with psoriasis, and one case of suicidality per 2,500 patients with psoriasis per year.

A news release from the Archives of Dermatology reports that the study authors also noted that “Recent data suggest that psychiatric co-morbidity may negative affect response to certain psoriasis treatments (eg, photochemotherapy), while other studies suggest that control of psoriasis is associated with improvements in psychological symptoms. Future studies are necessary to determine the mechanisms by which psoriasis is associated with depression, anxiety and suicidality as well as approaches to prevent such adverse outcomes in patients with psoriasis.”

The study “The Risk of Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidality in Patients with Psoriasis: A Population-based Cohort Study” was published in the August issue of the Archives of Dermatology.

Additional articles from HCPLive on psoriasis:

Beer Consumption Linked to Psoriasis in Women