Original articleGenital psoriasis is associated with significant impairment in quality of life and sexual functioning
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Methods
This was an observational, multicenter study of 354 consecutive adult psoriasis patients conducted in, Dallas, Texas and Dublin, Ireland between September 2010 and July 2012. Ethical approval was granted by each institute. All patients gave informed, written consent. Patient demographics, psoriasis, and medical history were recorded. Psoriasis clinical severity was measured using both the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and percentage body surface area (BSA) affected.5 Comprehensive
Baseline characteristics and psoriasis severity
A total of 354 patients were recruited to the study. Baseline demographics and clinical characteristics are summarized in Table I. Sixty-two percent of patients were taking systemic or biologic treatments. The only statistical differences between the 2 groups were a higher frequency of circumcision in the Dallas group and a higher proportion of males in the Dublin group (Table II).
Prevalence and clinical characteristics of genital involvement
One hundred thirty-four patients (38%) had current genital involvement, and 224 patients (63%) reported having
Discussion
The psychosocial impact of psoriasis often causes more distress than its physical symptoms, and the perception of stigmatization has a detrimental impact on social functioning and self-image.1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13 The peak onset of psoriasis is from 15 to 30 years of age, when issues pertaining to sexual health are more likely to have a negative effect on creating and maintaining interpersonal relationships.14 Many dermatologists do not routinely inquire or examine for the presence of genital
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Ethical approval was granted by Baylor Research Institute, Dallas (IRB 009-307) and the Ethics and Medical Research committee of St Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin.
Funding sources: None.
Disclosures appear at the end of this article.