Psoriasis: Sociodemographic and Clinical Data from a Dermatology Clinic of a Rural Region

Objective: Epidemiological studies about psoriasis in Turkey are in a very limited number. This study is the first aiming to investigate the sociodemographic and clinical features of psoriatic patients living in a rural region of our country. Methods: Demographic and clinical characteristics of 205 patients diagnosed with psoriasis in our dermatology outpatient clinic between May 2008 and July 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Of the patients, 61.5% were female and 38.5% were male (F/M ratio=1.6). Chronic plaque psoriasis (CP) was the most common (84.8%) clinical type. Age at onset of psoriasis was higher in males than in females. Family history of psoriasis was present in 25.7% of the patients. Median psoriasis area and severity index (dPASI) score was 3.6 (0.2-28.4). Severity of the disease was higher in males, in patients receiving systemic treatment, in patients with facial/nail involvement. Pitting was the most common psoriatic nail feature. Fissured tongue was the most common oral finding. Of the patients, 43.3% were active smokers. There was a weak but significantly positive correlation between the amount of cigarettes smoked and PASI scores. Conclusion: Demographic and clinical features of psoriatic patients living in Cubuk rural region were mostly similar to those of populations of regional studies from our country and from Europe and South America.