The evaluation of the sociodemografic and clinical features of psoriasis patients in the Duzce region

The Evaluation of the Sociodemografic and Clinical Features of Psoriasis Patients in the Duzce RegionAim: Psoriasis is one of the most common diseases seen at dermatology outpatient clinics. It is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory skin disease characterized by erythematous and scaling lesions. In this study, we aimed to investigate the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of psoriasis patients in the Duzce region.Methods: 248 patients who applied to Outpatient Clinic of Dermatology Department in Duzce University, Medical Faculty, Research and Training Hospital and have been newly diagnosed or under follow-up for psoriasis clinically and / or histopathologically, between the period of January 2011 - February 2012 were included in our study. Clinical and demographic data of the patients were recorded.Results: Psoriasis patients constituted 1,38 % of all the patients admitted to our department. Second and third decades were the peak times for the age at onset of the disease. 33,7 % of the patients had a family history. The rate of smoking in psoriasis patients was found to be in an average of 28,2 %. 4,8 % of the patients have been using alcohol. The most common clinical types were found to be plaque, guttate, and the palmoplantar types, respectively. 43,5 % of the patients had nail involvement. The most frequent nail involvement was pitting. Joint involvement was found to be in 14,5 % of the patients. 55,5 % of patients having arthropathy had also nail involvement. 69,3 % of patients with psoriasis had pruritus. A concomitant systemic disease was seen in 30,6 % of the patients. The most frequent accompanying disease was hypertension (12 %), and the second most common was diabetes mellitus (10,4 %).Conclusion: In general terms, our results were highly similar with the available data of national and foreign studies. It is concluded that similar studies should be done in all regions of Turkey in order to detect the national data of all psoriasis patients in our country.Keywords: psoriasis, sociodemographic characteristics