Perceived impact of psoriasis on leisure-time activities

Background: Psoriasis has an influence on various aspects of patients' everyday life. When estimating the total burden of the disease, the influence on leisure-time should also be taken into account. Objectives: To evaluate the perceived impact of psoriasis on leisure-time activities. Material and methods: The questionnaire study was based on 262 patients with psoriasis. The patients were asked to list their leisure-time activities, any activities they had reduced or given up completely because of psoriasis, the time spent on current leisure-time activities and the time they would have spent in a hypothetical situation if they did not have psoriasis. Using a visual analogue scale (VAS) of 0-100, the patients assessed how well they could currently perform their leisure-time activities and how well in a hypothetical situation without psoriasis. The difference between the VAS scores depicted the level of disadvantage caused by psoriasis. Results: More than half the patients (51.9%) had reduced or completely given up at least one leisure-time activity. The disadvantage score (VAS) of psoriasis was 16.9. Younger age was associated with higher disadvantage (r = 0.154, p<0.05). Sports activities were completely given up by 30.2% and reduced by 23.7%. Social activities and those which could be expected to cause embarrassment were given up by 29.0% and reduced by 21.4% of the patients. Conclusion: A majority of patients with psoriasis reduce or give up leisure-time activities because of their condition, so the influence of psoriasis on leisure-time is considerable.