Comorbidities, socioeconomic status, drug use, and health care consumption in Danish women with psoriasis: A nationwide cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a disease that extends beyond the skin, with profound medical, social, and mental health implications. To our knowledge, no previous studies have specifically investigated the medical and socioeconomic characteristics of women with versus without psoriasis. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether women with psoriasis differed from women without psoriasis with respect to comorbidities, socioeconomic status, healthcare consumption, and drug use, as well as how these characteristics differed according to psoriasis severity. METHODS: In this nationwide, register-based, cross-sectional study, data were collected from Danish registries from 1977 to 2017, linked at the individual level, and identified by International Classification of Diseases codes, prescription data, income and educational information, and contact with public health care services. Psoriasis was defined by either a hospital International Classification of Diseases code for psoriasis or calcipotriol prescription data. Psoriasis severity was stratified based on psoriasis treatment. Age-adjusted logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) of outcomes compared with those of women without psoriasis. RESULTS: A total of 77,143 women (3%) met the criteria for psoriasis. Psoriasis was significantly associated with all investigated outcomes. Women with psoriasis were less likely to have a high income (OR: 0.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.87–0.91), more likely to visit their general practitioner more often (OR: 3.82; 95% CI, 3.70–3.95), and received pain medication more often (OR: 1.57; 95% CI, 1.52–1.62) compared with women without psoriasis. CONCLUSION: Psoriasis was significantly associated with all investigated adverse medical and socioeconomic outcomes. Risk of outcomes increased with psoriasis severity. Our study highlights the need for a multidisciplinary collaboration to optimize medical care for women with (especially moderate and severe) psoriasis.