Premium
What is psoriasis? – Perception and assessment of psoriasis among the German population
Author(s) -
Sommer Rachel,
Mrowietz Ulrich,
Radtke Marc Alexander,
Schäfer Ines,
Kiedrowski Ralph,
Strömer Klaus,
Enk Alexander,
Maul JuliaTatjana,
Reich Kristian,
Zander Nicole,
Augustin Matthias
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
jddg: journal der deutschen dermatologischen gesellschaft
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.463
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1610-0387
pISSN - 1610-0379
DOI - 10.1111/ddg.13539
Subject(s) - psoriasis , medicine , population , residence , german , disease , family medicine , perception , demography , dermatology , psychology , environmental health , pathology , geography , archaeology , neuroscience , sociology
Summary Background Delivery of health care to psoriasis patients plays an important role in the field of dermatology. Following the 2014 WHO resolution and the 2016 WHO global report, there has been an increase in the awareness of psoriasis among the general public. However, the perception of psoriasis by the general population remains unclear. The goal of the present study was to investigate the perception and assessment of psoriasis among the German population. Patients and Methods Representative telephone survey among 2,001 adults using a standardized questionnaire. Analyses with respect to place of residence, age, gender and level of education were conducted in a descriptive manner. Results Twenty‐nine percent of participants were familiar with the term “Psoriasis”; 86 %, with the German designation “Schuppenflechte”. Ninety‐three percent considered the disease to be a significant burden for affected individuals; 59 % stated that there were effective drugs available for psoriasis; 9 % considered the disease to be communicable. Ten percent reported that they would not want to live in the same household as an affected individual; 23 % did not want to share the same swimming pool; and 27 % did not want to be in a personal relationship with someone affected. Twelve percent stated to be familiar with the WHO resolution on psoriasis; 6 % with the World Psoriasis Day; and 3 % with the “Bitte berühren” (“Please touch”) campaign. Conclusions Although a majority of the German population is familiar with the term “Schuppenflechte”, there is a significant lack of knowledge about the disease as well as prejudice toward affected individuals. Further measures are required to improve the level of information and decrease stigmatization.