Quality of Life and Body Region Affected by Psoriasis: A Systematic Review

PURPOSE: Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that affects approximately 1-3% of the world's population and is known to decrease patients' quality of life. However, it is yet to be ascertained whether the specific location of psoriatic lesions on the body influences one's quality of life. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted with a search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases. Only non-case report and non-review studies with explicitly stated body regions affected by psoriasis were included in the review. FINDINGS: Psoriatic patches and plaques in different areas of the body were not found to influence patients' quality of life to differing extents. CONCLUSIONS: While the body of evidence is limited and presents unstandardized results, the results of this review point to the fact that all psoriatic patches and plaques decrease patients' quality of life, with neither one region doing so to a significantly greater extent than another.