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Regional distribution of psoriasis in Italy
Author(s) -
Saraceno R,
Mannheimer R,
Chimenti S
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of the european academy of dermatology and venereology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.655
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1468-3083
pISSN - 0926-9959
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2007.02423.x
Subject(s) - psoriasis , medicine , ethnic group , demography , dermatology , epidemiology , quality of life (healthcare) , pathology , sociology , anthropology , nursing
Background Psoriasis is a chronic disease affecting skin and joints; the prevalence varies considerably within ethnic groups and countries. Objective The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of psoriasis across Italy and to identify regional differences. Methods The study was conducted in February 2006. A questionnaire was created to survey the prevalence and the geographical distribution of psoriasis in Italy. A representative sample of 3500 families from the contiguous 20 Italian regions was interviewed by a telematic panel. Results A total of 4109 individuals were interviewed. The research showed that 2.9% of Italians declared suffering from psoriasis (regional range: 0.8–4.5%); that 52% knew somebody with psoriasis; that 33% knew well the meaning of psoriasis; and that 31% of individuals affected from psoriasis defined the effect on quality of life as high. Conclusion In association with the socio‐cultural data, this is the first study describing the variation in prevalence of psoriasis among Italian regions.