The numbers tell the story about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
National Health Concern
About 2.1 percent of the U.S. population has psoriasis
More than 4.5 million American men and women have psoriasis, or about one in 50 Americans
Age
Often appears between the ages of 15 and 35, but can develop at any age
Average age of onset is 28
10 percent to 15 percent of those with psoriasis get it before age 10
Some infants have psoriasis, although this is considered rare
Annually, 20,000 children under 10 years of age are diagnosed with psoriasis
Severity of Psoriasis
About 30 percent of people with psoriasis have cases that are considered moderate to severe (generally meaning it covers more than 3 percent of their body)
More than 1.5 million Americans have moderate to severe psoriasis
Severe types of psoriasis can compromise the skin's ability to control body temperature and prevent infections
30 percent of patients under a dermatologist's care have psoriasis so extensive or difficult to control that prescription topical (rub on) therapies are not adequate
Quality of Life Impact
75 percent of people with moderate to severe psoriasis report that their disease has a moderate to large impact on their everyday lives:
26 percent alter their normal daily activities
21 percent stop their normal daily activities
40 percent say their psoriasis affects their clothing choices (avoiding dark colors, covering up arms and legs)
36 percent say it affects how they sleep
36 percent report bathing more than normal(based on results of National Psoriasis Foundation 2001 Benchmark Survey on Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis)
Facts
Psoriasis appears to be slightly more prevalent in women than in men
Psoriasis may disqualify a person from serving in the U.S. military
On average, 350 people die from psoriasis or complications of its treatment annually
400 people a year are granted disability by the Social Security Administration because of psoriasis
Psoriatic Arthritis
About 1 million people in the U.S. population have psoriatic arthritis; that equals about 0.5 percent of the country
Between 10 percent and 30 percent of people with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis usually develops between the ages of 30 and 50, but it can develop at any time
Generally psoriasis appears before the psoriatic arthritis, but it can develop without the characteristic skin lesions
There are five types of psoriatic arthritis
Psoriasis Patients
Psoriasis patients make nearly 2.4 million visits to dermatologists each year
Overall costs of treating psoriasis may exceed $3 billion annually
150,000 to 260,000 cases of psoriasis are diagnosed each year
Genetic
If one parent has psoriasis, children have a 10 percent to 25 percent chance of developing psoriasis
If both parents have psoriasis, children have a 50 percent chance
Worldwide
Psoriasis affects an estimated 1 percent to 3 percent of the world's population
