The annual cost of psoriasis.

BACKGROUND

The need for comparative cost figures for psoriasis therapy has become increasingly important.

OBJECTIVE

Our purpose was to compare the yearly costs of various psoriasis treatments.

METHODS

Ten patients were selected for each treatment modality and the average total cost per year, per patient was evaluated.

RESULTS

All treatments evaluated were cheaper than inpatient therapy, with Goeckerman treatment in the day-care setting the most expensive and hydroxyurea the cheapest. Cyclosporine, which was used for comparison, was at least twice as expensive as all the other treatments except for Goeckerman treatment in the day-care setting, compared with which it was about 70% more expensive.

CONCLUSION

No single treatment appears to be universally superior to others. In considering specific treatment for psoriasis, cost analyses, including appropriate laboratory and other specialized evaluations, must be taken into account. With use of these data, practitioners and health care organizations may be better able to select appropriate therapy.