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Prevalence of psoriasis in commercially insured US adults is 0.5% to 0.7%, which is lower than previously published research reports, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Because psoriasis prevalence rates have been reported to be between 0.5% and 3.2% in various data sources, researchers sought to study psoriasis prevalence rates based on insurance claims-related data.
Researchers used the IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Databases, which include beneficiaries of US employer-based commercial insurance, to identify claims of adults and their dependents with psoriasis between 2011 and 2017. Psoriasis claims were categorized into 2 groups: ≥1 or ≥2 inpatient or outpatient claims. Annual prevalence was calculated for each year, stratified according to sex and age, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using the Wald method.
In 2011, 0.529% (95% CI, 0.526%-0.531%) of beneficiaries had at least 1 claim for psoriasis. In 2017, the prevalence was 0.718% (95% CI, 0.714%-0.721%). Women (51.7%-53%) had higher prevalence than men. Prevalence was lowest among those ≤17 years old, who comprised 4.8% to 6.3% of the population with psoriasis. Prevalence was higher in the 18- to 34-year (4.4%-18.5%) and the 45- to 54-year (27.4%-28.1%) age groups, reflecting a bimodal distribution of onset. When using 2 claims as the definition, psoriasis prevalence fell to 0.220% (95% CI, 0.219%-0.222%) and 0.329% (95% CI, 0.326%-0.331%), respectively, in these age groups. Of enrollees with a psoriasis claim, 61% had at least a single claim from dermatology, and a substantial number had claims from internal and family medicine physicians and rheumatologists.
One limitation of this study was that uninsured individuals, publicly insured individuals, and individuals with mild disease who may not seek care were not included.
Researchers concluded that in a commercially insured US population <65 years old, the prevalence of psoriasis ranges from 0.5% to 0.7%, which is lower than indicated in many previously published reports.
Disclosures
One author declares affiliations with the pharmaceutical industry. Please refer to reference for a complete list of authors’ disclosures.
Reference
Cohen JM, Wong PW, Cohen DE, Kim RH. Psoriasis prevalence in the United States in a commercial insurance claims database: 2011-2017 [published online June 6, 2019]. J Am Acad Dermatol. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2019.05.092
