Malaysian Psoriasis Registry--preliminary report of a pilot study using a newly revised registry form

The Malaysian Psoriasis Registry, established in 1998, is the first skin disease clinical registry in Malaysia. It aims to provide useful data on various aspects of psoriasis. Following an extensive revision of the registry form in 2007, a total of 509 psoriasis patients from 10 government dermatologic centres were reviewed in a three month pilot study. The onset of psoriasis was during the second to fourth decade of life in the majority of patients. There was no sexual and ethnic predilection. A positive family history was present in 21.2%, and more common in patients with younger disease onset. The main aggravating factors of psoriasis were stress, sunlight and infection. Plaque psoriasis was the commonest clinical type (80.9%). Joint disease was present in 17.3% of patients, among which mono-/oligoarticular type being the commonest. Nail changes occurred in 68%. More psoriasis patients were overweight and obese compared to the normal population. The mean Dermatologic Life Quality Index (DLQI) score was 8.08 +/- 6.29, and changes during subsequent follow-up may reflect therapeutic effectiveness. This study enabled evaluation of the revised registry form and helped in identifying shortcomings in the implementation of the registry.