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Prevalence of psoriasis in Spain (Epiderma Project: phase I)
C Ferrándiz1, X Bordas, V García-Patos
1Department of Dermatology, Hospital Universitario Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain. cferran@ns.hugtip.scs.es
Background:
Various national and international studies are under way to obtain reliable data on the epidemiological features of psoriasis.
Objectives:
The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of psoriasis in the general population in Spain as well as its variations according to sex, age and distribution in different geographical areas.
Material And Methods:
A random sample (12,938 subjects from 4027 households), representative of the general population, was the basis for a cross-sectional survey through telephone calls performed by trained non-medical interviewers using a specific questionnaire.
Results:
The prevalence of psoriasis, similar in both sexes, was estimated to be 1.17-1.43%. The highest prevalence rates were shown among 20-50-year-old subjects. Distribution of psoriatic patients was not homogeneous throughout the country and prevalence was shown to be higher in the central dry region of the country.
Conclusions:
In a population of about 40 million inhabitants, 470,000-570,000 psoriatic subjects constitute an important target for health care issues and further epidemiological studies.