The impact of psoriasis on psychosocial life domains. A review.

Living with a chronic disease, such as psoriasis, is likely to have psychological as well as social implications. Hence, knowledge about the impact of psoriasis on patients' life situation is important for designing and selecting suitable health care programmes for this group of patients. A review of studies published between 1983 and 1995 shows that there are some common factors as regards the psychological distress and social and functional limitations this group of patients has to deal with. However, it is difficult to compare the findings on the psychosocial impact of psoriasis owing to the differences in methods, study design and patient samples. This suggests that further research is needed. A holistic perspective that includes patients' quality of life may represent a fruitful approach.