Rediscover Your Life Without Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a serious national health concern.

About 2.5 percent of the U.S. population has Psoriasis and recent clinical reports link Psoriasis to many other serious health conditions.

As stated in the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology. . . people with more severe presentations of Psoriasis appear to have an increased frequency of psoriatic arthritis, cardiovascular disease(CVD), hypertension, obesity, and diabetes; other immune-related ailments, such as Crohn’s disease; and an excess risk of mortality. Further, Psoriasis patients often suffer from depression, and more frequently smoke and drink alcohol to excess, which may negatively compound the health status of these patients. Evolving research suggests that the chronic inflammatory nature of Psoriasis itself may lead to adverse health outcomes, including coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction (MI).^a

Age

Psoriasis most often first appears between the ages of 15 and 25, but can develop at any age.

Severity of Psoriasis

Less than 3 percent of the body affected by Psoriasis is considered to be a mild case, while 3 to 10 percent is considered moderate. When more than 10 percent of the body surface is affected, it is considered severe Psoriasis. The palm of the hand, including fingertips, equals approximately 1 percent of the skin. However, the severity of Psoriasis is also measured by how Psoriasis affects a person's quality of life. Psoriasis can have a serious impact even if it involves a small area, such as the palms of the hands or soles of the feet.

Nearly 25% of people with Psoriasis have cases that are considered moderate to severe (generally meaning it covers more than 3 percent of their body).

More than 1.5 million Americans have moderate to severe Psoriasis.

Severe types of Psoriasis can compromise the skin's ability to control body temperature and prevent infections.

Quality of Life Impact

In the largest patient survey* ever conducted to date, the National Psoriasis Foundation recently published the results from a six-year study of market research collected from nearly 5,000 people who have Psoriasis. Clearly, Psoriasis can have a major negative impact on the quality of life for those individuals that suffer from this disease, such as:

73 % of responders said they feel Self-Conscious about their Psoriasis
68% said they feel Embarrassed with regard to their Psoriasis
65% said that Psoriasis makes their appearance unsightly
73% of respondents said they Feel Angry Or Frustrated with regard to their Psoriasis
71% said they Feel Helpless about their Psoriasis
72% suffer from Itching, 70% from Physical Irritation, and 59% from Physical Pain from Psoriasis.
59% said that Psoriasis was a large problem in their everyday lives

*The complete "Report on the Psycho-Social Impacts of Psoriasis" can be reviewed at the National Psoriasis Foundation website at: www.Psoriasis.org

The XTRAC Laser is one of many possible therapeutic options physicians use to treat Psoriasis. Feel free to review the NPF Endorsement Letter about XTRAC Laser Therapy for more information.

Facts

Psoriasis may disqualify a person from serving in the U.S. military

Psoriatic Arthritis

About 1 million people in the U.S. population have psoriatic arthritis; that equals about 0.5 percent of the country

Between 10 percent and 30 percent of people with Psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis usually develops between the ages of 30 and 50, but it can develop at any time

Generally Psoriasis appears before the psoriatic arthritis, but it can develop without the characteristic skin lesions

Psoriasis Patients

Psoriasis patients make nearly 2.4 million visits to dermatologists each year

Overall costs of treating Psoriasis may exceed $3 billion annually

150,000 to 260,000 cases of Psoriasis are diagnosed each year

Genetic

If one parent has Psoriasis, children have a 10 percent chance of developing Psoriasis

If both parents have Psoriasis, children have a 50 percent chance

Worldwide

Psoriasis affects an estimated 1 percent to 3 percent of the world's population

Cost of Psoriasis

Total direct and indirect health care costs of Psoriasis for patients are calculated at $11.25 billion annually, with work loss accounting for 40 percent of the cost burden. Approximately 60 percent of Psoriasis patients missed an average of 26 days of work a year due to their illness.

a.) National Psoriasis Foundation clinical consensus on Psoriasis co-morbidities and recommendations for screening, Alexa Kimball, M.D., et al, (Journal American Academy Dermatology 10.1016/j.jaad.2008.01.006.)