A survey of disease severity, quality of life, and treatment patterns of biologically naive patients with psoriasis in central and eastern Europe.

Because data on the epidemiology of psoriasis in central and eastern Europe are scarce, a survey was carried out among dermatologists in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The objective of the survey was to determine disease severity, treatment patterns, proportions of dermatologists considering their patients' current treatments unsatisfactory, and proportions of physicians intending to prescribe biologicals to their patients. Data collection was based on physician- and patient-completed questionnaires. Data on 913 patients were available. The mean age at onset of psoriasis was 29±15 years, mean proportion of affected body surface area 29%±22%, mean Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 15±12, and mean Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) 11±7. Overall, 37% of patients had severe disease defined as a PASI of 10 or more and a DLQI above 10; 45% of all patients and 58% of patients with severe disease had received standard systemics. In 53% of cases, dermatologists were dissatisfied with their patients' treatments. In almost all of these patients, physicians considered switching treatments, and in 65% of these patients, or more than 30% of the entire patient sample, physicians considered switching to biologicals, suggesting that nonbiologic treatment options in this group had been exhausted. Significant between-country differences were found for most study parameters. This survey was the first to assess the profile of patients with psoriasis in countries of central and eastern Europe. Psoriasis has a substantial impact on the quality of life, regardless of disease severity. More than one third of patients had severe disease, more than half of patients were considered by their physicians to be receiving inappropriate treatment, and in more than one third of patients physicians intended to switch to biologicals.