The Annual Economic Burden of Psoriasis

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic disease that affects approximately 2.2% of the U.S. population. The annual economic burden of this disease, both on an individual and national level, has not been clearly defined. Two recently published articles estimated the annual cost to be $35.2 billion (2013 $US) and $112-$135 billion (2013 $US), respectively. Notably, the two articles rely on different estimates of the 2013 U.S. psoriasis population. For patients with mild disease, the largest contributor to cost appears to be non-urgent care such as outpatient visits. For patients with moderate-to-severe disease, pharmacy costs dominate. Although we can partially explain the difference in estimates, this is not an exact science. Not all published articles include the direct, indirect, and intangible costs associated with psoriasis. The measurements themselves are subject to a degree of error. Furthermore, different estimates rely on different studies.