What is psoriasis? - Perception and assessment of psoriasis among the German population

TY - JOUR

T1 - What is psoriasis? - Perception and assessment of psoriasis among the German population

AU - Sommer, Rachel

AU - Mrowietz, Ulrich

AU - Radtke, Marc Alexander

AU - Schäfer, Ines

AU - von Kiedrowski, Ralph

AU - Strömer, Klaus

AU - Enk, Alexander

AU - Maul, Julia-Tatjana

AU - Reich, Kristian

AU - Zander, Nicole

AU - Augustin, Matthias

N1 - © 2018 Deutsche Dermatologische Gesellschaft (DDG). Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PY - 2018/6

Y1 - 2018/6

N2 - BACKGROUND: Delivery of health care to psoriasis patients plays an important role in the field of dermatology. Following the 2014 WHO resolution and the 2016 WHO global report, there has been an increase in the awareness of psoriasis among the general public. However, the perception of psoriasis by the general population remains unclear. The goal of the present study was to investigate the perception and assessment of psoriasis among the German population.PATIENTS AND METHODS: Representative telephone survey among 2,001 adults using a standardized questionnaire. Analyses with respect to place of residence, age, gender and level of education were conducted in a descriptive manner.RESULTS: Twenty-nine percent of participants were familiar with the term "Psoriasis"; 86 %, with the German designation "Schuppenflechte". Ninety-three percent considered the disease to be a significant burden for affected individuals; 59 % stated that there were effective drugs available for psoriasis; 9 % considered the disease to be communicable. Ten percent reported that they would not want to live in the same household as an affected individual; 23 % did not want to share the same swimming pool; and 27 % did not want to be in a personal relationship with someone affected. Twelve percent stated to be familiar with the WHO resolution on psoriasis; 6 % with the World Psoriasis Day; and 3 % with the "Bitte berühren" ("Please touch") campaign.CONCLUSIONS: Although a majority of the German population is familiar with the term "Schuppenflechte", there is a significant lack of knowledge about the disease as well as prejudice toward affected individuals. Further measures are required to improve the level of information and decrease stigmatization.

AB - BACKGROUND: Delivery of health care to psoriasis patients plays an important role in the field of dermatology. Following the 2014 WHO resolution and the 2016 WHO global report, there has been an increase in the awareness of psoriasis among the general public. However, the perception of psoriasis by the general population remains unclear. The goal of the present study was to investigate the perception and assessment of psoriasis among the German population.PATIENTS AND METHODS: Representative telephone survey among 2,001 adults using a standardized questionnaire. Analyses with respect to place of residence, age, gender and level of education were conducted in a descriptive manner.RESULTS: Twenty-nine percent of participants were familiar with the term "Psoriasis"; 86 %, with the German designation "Schuppenflechte". Ninety-three percent considered the disease to be a significant burden for affected individuals; 59 % stated that there were effective drugs available for psoriasis; 9 % considered the disease to be communicable. Ten percent reported that they would not want to live in the same household as an affected individual; 23 % did not want to share the same swimming pool; and 27 % did not want to be in a personal relationship with someone affected. Twelve percent stated to be familiar with the WHO resolution on psoriasis; 6 % with the World Psoriasis Day; and 3 % with the "Bitte berühren" ("Please touch") campaign.CONCLUSIONS: Although a majority of the German population is familiar with the term "Schuppenflechte", there is a significant lack of knowledge about the disease as well as prejudice toward affected individuals. Further measures are required to improve the level of information and decrease stigmatization.

KW - Journal Article

U2 - 10.1111/ddg.13539

DO - 10.1111/ddg.13539

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 29873901

VL - 16

SP - 703

EP - 710

JO - J DTSCH DERMATOL GES

JF - J DTSCH DERMATOL GES

SN - 1610-0379

IS - 6

ER -