title: Smoking and alcohol intake in severely affected patients with psoriasis in Germany.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Smoking and alcohol may contribute as triggering factors for psoriasis and are substantial for managing severely affected psoriasis patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the general state of smoking and alcohol intake in a group of hospitalized, severely affected patients with psoriasis in comparison with the general population of Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective, multicentre study analysing data from 1,203 patients with severe psoriasis was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  43.3% of all patients were found to be active smokers (males: 46.6%; females: 39.2%) with a higher likelihood as the control group (odds ratio, OR, 2.08, 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.81-2.39; p < 0.0001). 14.9% of all patients were found to be excessive drinkers (female patients: 5.5%; male patients: 22.3%), more likely than the control group (OR 3.10, 95% CI 2.53-3.80; p < 0.0001); males had an OR of 2.86 (95% CI 2.29-3.56; p < 0.0001) and females an OR of 5.12 (95% CI 3.12-8.39; p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Smoking and alcohol intake are independently associated with severe forms of psoriasis. Disease severity is correlated with smoking in both genders as well as with alcohol intake in female patients.
authors.affiliation: Psoriasis Center at the Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany. sgerdes @ dermatology.uni-kiel.de
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gerdes
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Zahl
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weichenthal
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Mrowietz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*