Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2026
Measuring Psoriasis Severity at Home
Published on: March 1, 2024
Increased risk of infectious disease requiring hospitalization among patients with psoriasis: a population-based
Marlies Wakkee1, Esther de Vries, Pieter van den Haak
1Department of Dermatology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Background:
Immunologic alterations caused by psoriasis and/or its therapies may affect the risk of serious infections.
Objective:
For patients with psoriasis, we explored the overall and therapy-related risk of contracting an infectious disease (ID) requiring hospitalization in a large population-based cohort.
Methods:
The incidence of ID was compared between patients with psoriasis and a randomly selected cohort (ratio 1:5) using hospital and pharmacy databases covering 2.5 million Dutch residents between 1997 and 2008. First and multiple IDs were defined and categorized into 20 groups based on primary International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification discharge diagnoses. Multivariate Cox regression and Poisson event-count models were used to test the risk difference of IDs between patients with psoriasis and reference cohort.
Results:
A total of 25,742 patients with psoriasis and 128,710 reference subjects were followed up for approximately 6 years. The likelihood of IDs in patients with psoriasis was twice as high as the reference population (908 vs 438 events/100,000 person-years, crude hazard ratio 2.08, 95% confidence interval 1.96-2.22). In a multivariate model the hazard ratio decreased to 1.54 (95% confidence interval 1.44-1.65). This risk was highest for patients with more severe psoriasis (adjusted hazard ratio 1.81, 95% confidence interval 1.57-2.08), but was not associated with recent systemic antipsoriatic drug dispensing. Respiratory tract, abdominal, and skin infections occurred most frequently in patients with psoriasis. Multiple event analysis that counted the total number of infectious discharge diagnoses gave similar results.
Limitations:
No data were available on lifestyle factors.
Conclusion:
The risk of severe infections was significantly higher for patients with psoriasis compared with control subjects and could not be explained by exposure to systemic antipsoriatic drugs.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Factors Affecting the Risk of Infection
The integrity and count of the white blood cells help the body resist pathogens and fight infection. When impaired, it reduces the body's resistance to pathogens. The acidic pH levels of the gastrointestinal, genitourinary tracts, and skin create...
01:29Pulmonary Tuberculosis I
Causative Organism
The primary infectious agent causing tuberculosis is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a slow-growing, acid-fast, aerobic rod that exhibits sensitivity to heat and ultraviolet light. Instances of Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium avium contributing to the development of TB infection are rare.
Mode of...
01:29Pneumonia I: Introduction
01:30Pneumonia I: Introduction
Risk Factors
Various factors influence the likelihood of developing pneumonia. Age plays a crucial role, with infants, children under two, and individuals over 65 at increased risk due to their...
01:26Healthcare Associated Infections I: Iatrogenic, Exogenic and Endogenic
HAIs significantly increase the cost of health care. Extended stays in healthcare institutions, increased disability, increased costs of medications, including specialized antibiotics, and prolonged recovery times add to the patient's expenses and the healthcare institution and funding bodies. Common...
01:29Staphylococcal Skin Infections