Patient-Reported Disease Severity and Quality of Life Among Arabic Psoriatic Patients: A Cross-Sectional Survey

PURPOSE: Patient-reported measures are of importance in chronic dermatological conditions where psychosocial consequences and quality of life impairment are common. The current study aimed to evaluate patient-reported disease severity and quality of life in Arabic patients with psoriasis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Arabic psoriatic patients were invited to complete an online survey that collected patients’ demographics, self-assessed Simplified Psoriasis Index (saSPI) and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Disease severity and quality of life were compared in relation to patients’ demographics. Correlation between patient-reported measures was calculated using Spearman’s rank correlation test. RESULTS: A total of 221 patients with psoriasis, from 12 Arabic-speaking countries, participated in the study. The mean (95% CIs) saSPI-severity score was 10.9 (9.6–12.2). Female patients reported higher saSPI-psychosocial impact scores compared to males (P=0.04) while patients with longer disease duration reported higher saSPI-past history and interventions scores (P=0.0001). The mean (95% CIs) DLQI score was 11.2 (10.2–12.1). Patients with severe disease reported significantly higher DLQI scores [18.5 (10.5–2)] (P=0.0001). DLQI was strongly correlated with saSPI-psychosocial impact score (rho= 0.63). CONCLUSION: Arabic psoriatic patients participating in this study showed mild to moderate disease severity which had a very large impact on patients’ quality of life. Higher disease severity was associated with more impaired quality of life.