Armstrong co-authors JAMA article on cost of psoriasis

April Armstrong, associate professor and vice chair of clinical research in the Department of Dermatology at the CU School of Medicine, is the senior and corresponding author of an article published online by JAMA Dermatology that reports the annual U.S. cost of psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin condition, was estimated to be between $112 billion and $135 billion in 2013.

Psoriasis affects about 3.2 percent of the U.S. population and understanding the economic burden of the disease is important for research, advocacy and educational efforts.

Armstrong, along with co-authors, reviewed 22 studies to estimate the direct, indirect, intangible and comorbidity costs of adult psoriasis. The results were adjusted to 2013 dollars. Their review found direct psoriasis costs ranged from $51.7 billion to $63.2 billion, while indirect costs (due to absenteeism or going to work while sick) ranged from $23.9 billion to $35.4 billion. Medical comorbidities were estimated to contribute another $36.4 billion. And intangible costs (to eliminate the negative effects of psoriasis in physical and mental health) amounted to a one-time cost of up to $11,498 per patient with psoriasis, according to the review results.

“The direct health care costs are significantly greater for patients with psoriasis than for the general population and are also higher for patients with increasing psoriasis disease severity. … Defining the economic burden of psoriasis from a societal perspective is the foundation for innovating and providing access to cost-effective therapies that will result in improved patient outcomes,” the authors note.