Greater skin clearance among psoriasis patients is associated with greater improvements in quality of life, according to a letter to the editor published in the June issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Jashin J. Wu, M.D., from the Dermatology Research and Education Foundation in Irvine, California, and colleagues evaluated the association of body surface area (BSA) with quality of life (assessed by the Dermatology Life Quality Index [DLQI]) after six and 12 months of treatment with systemic therapy. The analysis included 665 patients identified through the Corrona Psoriasis Registry (April 2015 to May 2017).

The researchers found that the relative change in DLQI improved as BSA improved. Patients who achieved a BSA of 0 percent had a 57 percent improvement in the DLQI score at six months. At 12 months, patients in the BSA >3 percent group at the 12-month visit had worsening of the DLQI by 46 percent, while the 15 percent of patients who achieved BSA of 0 percent had a 71 percent improvement in the DLQI score. The association between BSA achievement and relative improvements in the DLQI was significant at six and 12 months.

"The results of our study further strengthen the evidence supporting the utility of BSA as an indicator of improvement in patient quality of life," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry. Corrona funded the study.

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