title: How much of the productivity losses among psoriasis patients are due to psoriasis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In previous studies, productivity losses have been measured specifically due to psoriasis or generally due to health problems in psoriasis patients. There is no information on the proportion of health related productivity losses that are due to psoriasis. The aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of productivity losses due to psoriasis and due to other medical problems among employed psoriasis patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients visiting a tertiary level dermatological clinic during a one-year period due to psoriasis or psoriasis arthritis, who were employed, were selected to the study. A questionnaire was used to assess productivity losses during the previous month.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Psoriasis accounted for 38% of the total lost productivity costs. One fifth of patients had been on sick leave (absenteeism) due to psoriasis and a third of patients worked despite being sick with psoriasis (presenteeism). Men had higher costs of presenteeism, but the costs of absenteeism due to psoriasis were lower for men than for women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Productivity losses should be assessed disease specifically to avoid overestimations of the role of the disease on indirect costs. Our study shows that about a third of the lost productivity costs are due to psoriasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland. atmust@utu.fi.|Lemminkäisenkatu 1, 20014 University of Turku, Turku, Finland. atmust@utu.fi.
authors.forename: Anssi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mustonen
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland. kamatt@utu.fi.
authors.forename: Kalle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mattila
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland. mklein@utu.fi.
authors.forename: Mauri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leino
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland. leena.koulu@tyks.fi.
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Koulu
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, University of Turku and Primary Health Care Unit, Hospital District of Southwest Finland, Turku, Finland. risto.tuominen@utu.fi.
authors.forename: Risto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tuominen
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000328:Adult; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004651:Employment / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000069597:Presenteeism / Q000191:economics; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000191:economics*; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000191:economics*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires