In a survey of patients with psoriasis conducted by the National Psoriasis Foundation, the patient perception of psoriasis remission was found to be multifaceted, including body surface area (BSA), female sex, quality of life (QOL), and treatment type. The results and analysis of the survey were presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Virtual Meeting Experience 2021.

The achievement of remission is a key goal for patients with psoriasis, and physicians treat patients with this goal in mind. However, despite the common goal, the definition of remission is often a gray area. Existing initiatives for remission include treat-to-target, which focuses on degree of skin involvement, while other initiatives aim to incorporate assessment of QOL.

To better determine factors associated with remission, this study surveyed a random sampling of 1570 patients with psoriasis. The survey included sections on demographics, diagnosis of psoriasis, comorbid conditions, perception of remission, treatments used in the last 12 months, psoriasis severity, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and the Global psoriasis-related QOL. Disease severity was determined using the Patient Report of Extent of Psoriasis (PREPI), which measures BSA.

In total, 1494 patients were analyzed. In total, 930 patients (40.4%) reported a BSA of 3% or more, of which 51.6% (479 patients) self-reported that they were in remission. The average duration of remission reported by patients was 60 months.

For those in remission, 79.5% reported current treatment for their psoriasis and 65.2% reported using a biologic for treatment of their psoriasis within the last 12 months. 

Factors related to remission included the female sex (60.4% of patients in remission), a lower DLQI score (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.826-0.917; P<.001), a lower Global QOL (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.729-0.860; P<.001), and a lower BSA (OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.568-0.879; P<.01). Factors found not to be related to remission included age, race, and BMI.

Interestingly, 53.9% (222) of patients in remission reported that their psoriasis had no effect on their quality of life.

Overall, the patient perception of remission varies and is not solely tied to one factor. —Audrey Amos, PharmD

Reference
Gondo G, Hadeler E, Brownstone N, et al. Demographic and clinical factors associated with patient-reported remission in psoriasis. Poster presented at: American Academy of Dermatology Virtual Meeting Experience 2021; April 23-25, 2021; virtual.