Prevalence of psoriasis in China: a population-based study in six cities

• Published in: EJD. European journal of dermatology Vol. 22; no. 5; p. 663
• Main Authors: Ding, Xiaolan, Wang, Tinglin, Shen, Yiwei, Wang, Xiaoyan, Zhou, Cheng, Tian, Shan, Liu, Ying, Peng, Guanghui, Zhou, June, Xue, Shuqi, Wang, Renli, Tang, Ying, Meng, Xuemei, Pei, Guangde, Bai, Yunhua, Liu, Qing, Li, Hang, Zhang, Jianzhong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: France 01.09.2012
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Child; Child, Preschool; China - epidemiology; Female; Health Surveys; Humans; Infant; Interviews as Topic; Male; Middle Aged; Physical Examination; Prevalence; Psoriasis - epidemiology; Psoriasis - genetics; Quality of Life; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult; China
• ISSN: 1952-4013
• DOI: 10.1684/ejd.2012.1802

Although psoriasis occurs worldwide, the prevalence varies considerably between different peoples and regions. In China, a questionnaire-based study was carried out in 1987 and the prevalence of psoriasis was found to be 0.12%. Since then, no large-scale, population-based study has been reported. To obtain the accurate figures for the prevalence of psoriasis in China. A population-based survey was conducted in 6 cities. The cluster sampling method was used to select communities in each city. The subjects were required to fill out self-reporting questionnaires during a face-to-face interview and also received physical examination by dermatologists. 19,974 subjects were visited and 17,345 completed the questionnaires and received dermatological examination. 102 subjects (0.59%) were found to have psoriasis. After standardization, the prevalence of psoriasis was 0.47%. The prevalence of psoriasis in males and females was 0.54% and 0.44% respectively. 97.06% of the patients had psoriasis vulgaris. 28.43% of the patients reported a family history of psoriasis. 59.80% of patients experienced a negative influence on the quality of life. This population-based and dermatologist-confirmed study showed that the prevalence of psoriasis in China is 0.47%, which is higher than that reported in 1987.