Regional distribution of psoriasis in Italy.
BACKGROUND
Psoriasis is a chronic disease affecting skin and joints; the prevalence varies considerably within ethnic groups and countries.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of psoriasis across Italy and to identify regional differences.


METHODS
The study was conducted in February 2006. A questionnaire was created to survey the prevalence and the geographical distribution of psoriasis in Italy. A representative sample of 3500 families from the contiguous 20 Italian regions was interviewed by a telematic panel.


RESULTS
A total of 4109 individuals were interviewed. The research showed that 2.9% of Italians declared suffering from psoriasis (regional range: 0.8-4.5%); that 52% knew somebody with psoriasis; that 33% knew well the meaning of psoriasis; and that 31% of individuals affected from psoriasis defined the effect on quality of life as high.


CONCLUSIONS
In association with the socio-cultural data, this is the first study describing the variation in prevalence of psoriasis among Italian regions.
Saraceno
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Department of Dermatology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy. rositasaraceno@yahoo.it
Mannheimer
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R
Chimenti
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D000328:Adult; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires