Psoriasis is a skin disease that affects millions of people around the world. It harms the patient’s socio-physical health. The condition also imposes an economic burden on the nation. This study aimed to assess indirect costs and workplace productivity loss(WPL) due to psoriasis.
Researchers used identical methods in six different countries (US, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy) at the same time. They calculated patients’ absenteeism, presenteeism, and total WPL (work productivity loss) using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) instrument. The human capital method converted these results into indirect costs. They used univariate and multivariate statistical analyses using patient demographics and clinical characteristics as the control factors.
Out of 936 respondents with an average age of 42.4 years, 32.6% had mild psoriasis, 40.7%, and 26.6% had moderate and severe disorders. The dermatology life quality index (DLQI) was 5.1, while the body surface area (BSA) of patients was 9.6%. About 37.2% of the study participants were female. The mean percentages of mild, moderate, and severe cases were 10.1%, 18.9%, and 29.4%. Presenteeism contributed more to total WPL than absenteeism or psoriasis severity. The annual indirect costs per patient in Spain were 3742 dollars, while it was 9591 dollars in the USA.
The research concluded that WPL increased progressively with increase in BSA and DLQI scores. Thereby, the study established the link between economic burden and psoriasis severity.
Ref: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjd.19351
