Evaluating the economic burden of psoriasis in the United States
The prevalence of psoriasis in the US was estimated to be 7.4 million in 2013. Comparatively,psoriasis patients incurred incremental medical costs of $2284, experienced a $2203 reduction in HRQOL, and a $1935 reduction in productivity. The total burden of psoriasis was estimated as $35.2 billion, with $12.2 billion in incremental medical costs (35%), $11.8 billion from reduced HRQOL (34%), and $11.2 billion from productivity losses (32%).
We estimate a total of 5.34 million people living with psoriasis in the US in 2013, generating a total economic burden of $35.2 billion at the national level. A little over one-third of these costs were associated with direct health care expenditures; a majority of psoriasis burden came from indirect costs resulting from reduced QOL and loss of productivity, which poses significant impact on patients, health care providers, and employers. Timely and effective treatment of psoriasis can impact these burdens, particularly the indirect costs—potentially reducing the substantial societal burden placed by psoriasis.
