Issue Briefs

• Psoriasis and comorbid conditions (PDF): Psoriasis increases the risk for other serious conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer.
• Psoriasis and mental health (PDF): People with psoriasis experience higher rates of depression and anxiety. This is especially true for women and minorities with psoriasis.
• Psoriasis research (PDF): The National Institutes of Health investment in psoriasis research amounts to approximately $1.75 per patient. Increased federal investment in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis will bring breakthroughs in our understanding of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
• Psoriasis and children (PDF): Although psoriasis is most frequently diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 25, it can affects children of all ages, including infants. Psoriasis carries a significant physical and psychological burden in the child and adolescent population.
• Access to care (PDF): Psoriasis is a lifelong disease and requires ongoing medical care. A wide range of therapuetics options are available, however, treatment success varies. For many psoriasis patients, existing treatments are not effective, appropriate or may not be accessible due to cost and insurance barriers.
• Framework for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis data collection at the CDC (PDF): In response to a recommendation by the National Psoriasis Foundation Medical and Scientific Advisory Boards for a public health research program to study psoriatic disease, Congress provided $1.5 million in FY 2010 to the CDC to start the first government effort to collect data on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. 

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