INTRODUCTION
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects nearly 8 million adults in the United States (US).1 The disease is characterized by sharply demarcated, scaly, erythematous plaques that can involve a large percentage of one’s body surface area.2-3 In addition to disease symptoms like pruritus, pain, and bleeding, associated medical comorbidities, such as cardiometabolic diseases and psoriatic arthritis, contribute to the high burden of disease among patients.2,4 Psoriasis can also have a profound impact on patients' mental health. Psoriasis patients are at increased risk of low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, self-harm, stress, and suicidality.5-7
The physical and emotional disease burden contributes to a reduced quality of life (QoL) and impaired function in psoriasis patients.8 This loss in productivity carries professional and financial repercussions. The estimated total annual economic burden of psoriasis in the US is 112 billion dollars.9 Up to 40% of the total costs of psoriasis are thought to be the result of decreased productivity and work loss.10 One component of work loss is work absenteeism, which is defined as missing work due to illness or disability.11 It has been found that adult psoriasis patients in the US miss approximately 1.26% more days of work than patients without psoriasis.12-13
While few studies examined work absenteeism between patients with and without psoriasis, little is known regarding how work absenteeism may differ between psoriasis patients with mild versus moderate-to-severe disease in the US This study aims to compare work absenteeism between employed adults with mild and moderate-to-severe psoriasis in the US.
The physical and emotional disease burden contributes to a reduced quality of life (QoL) and impaired function in psoriasis patients.8 This loss in productivity carries professional and financial repercussions. The estimated total annual economic burden of psoriasis in the US is 112 billion dollars.9 Up to 40% of the total costs of psoriasis are thought to be the result of decreased productivity and work loss.10 One component of work loss is work absenteeism, which is defined as missing work due to illness or disability.11 It has been found that adult psoriasis patients in the US miss approximately 1.26% more days of work than patients without psoriasis.12-13
While few studies examined work absenteeism between patients with and without psoriasis, little is known regarding how work absenteeism may differ between psoriasis patients with mild versus moderate-to-severe disease in the US This study aims to compare work absenteeism between employed adults with mild and moderate-to-severe psoriasis in the US.