The Burden of Psoriasis in China and Global Level from 1990 to 2019: A Systematic Analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

OBJECTIVES: Psoriasis is a skin disease thought to be related to immune system dysfunction. Our study is aimed at analyzing the prevalence of psoriasis in China in multiple different categories and compared the prevalence at the global level, in order to bring insights to policymakers for treating this disease. METHODS: We analyzed psoriasis trends from 1990 to 2019 in China as well as around the globe with data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study. Multiple metrics such as age-standardized prevalence rates, percent change in age-standardized prevalence rates, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and age and sex patterns were included. We also predicted the trends of psoriasis prevalence and DALYs in the following 30 years. RESULTS: In China, the age-specific prevalence cases showed a right shift in 2019 compared to 1990 with a peak between the ages of 50 and 54 years and an obvious surpass in males between 40 and 69. Though China still had the largest number of psoriasis cases in 2019, the increase rate was below global level. A positive linear relationship between psoriasis prevalence and comorbidities was seen with rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, nonrheumatic valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathy and myocarditis, nonmelanoma skin cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma in China within the male group in 2019. Discussion. The burden of psoriasis, as measured by the absolute number of DALYs, continues to increase around the world. The scarcity of modifiable risks for most psoriasis burdens suggests that new knowledge is needed to develop effective prevention and treatment strategies.