London, United Kingdom
December 4 - December 12, 2003

In recent years the understanding of quality of life in Psoriasis has improved significantly. In addition to the physical effects, the mental effects of psoriasis are now much better understood. There are also better tools available to monitor psoriasis in more patient relevent ways, moving away from simple assessment of area affected to more "functional" and "quality of life" measures.

As this understanding has improved, it has become evident that psoriasis is more debilitating than previously thought and should be considered alongside other serious chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and depression. These findings make quality of life an essential parameter for the effective management psoriasis.

When considering medical management of this condition some patients would rather "suffer the disease than the treatments." This is a poor reflection on current treatment options, which although effective in some patients, come with significant side effect and convenience issues. Systemic treatments often have a toxic threshold, whether it be to the liver or kidneys or in terms of risk of cutaneous malignancy. These cumulative toxicities need to be carefully managed with complex rotational or combination regimens.

On the other hand, some otherwise effective current treatments (like phototherapy) have serious drawbacks. Therefore, only by balancing the three components of efficacy, safety and convenience can an optimal quality of life be achieved. Furthermore, as patients vary in their priorities depending on lifestyle, co-mordibities and attitude toward disease/side effects, individual treatment plans are needed. Treatment plans also need to be long-term due to the chronicity of the disease.

With the advent of biologics there is an opportunity to reconsider treatment paradigms, particularly in the context of quality of life. Dermatologists and other healthcare professionals involved in the management of psoriasis will be instrumental in defining new management approaches incorporating the latest advances in treatment, to optimize quality of life of psoriasis patients in the long-term.

OBJECTIVES

 At the conclusion of this program, the participant was able to:

• Identify the needs of psoriasis patients
• Gain knowledge about the common scales used for measuring Quality of Life (QOL) in psoriasis
• Understand the debilitating nature of psoriasis and how its effects on mental and physical well being compared with other major diseases
• Describe how different treatment options affect the QOL of patients
• Identify ways to improve concordance and QOL