Associations among disease severity, physical activity, and quality of life in psoriasis.

Abstract

Psoriasis is the most common auto-immune disorder worldwide and most often manifests itself as scaly plaques on the skin. It can substantially affect a person‘s quality of life (QOL) and overall wellness. In addition, individuals with moderate-to-severe psoriasis are likely at greater risk for chronic co-morbidities like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. There is currently a dearth of literature evaluating the lifestyle habits of individuals with psoriasis, especially in regards to physical activity (PA). This exploratory, cross-sectional study examined the PA habits of people with psoriasis and explored whether PA was related to psoriasis severity and QOL. The results suggest that total PA was not related to psoriasis severity. However, individuals with more severe disease were less physically active in their leisure time. In addition, symptoms such as itchiness, stinging, soreness, and pain showed a strong inverse association with leisure PA, independent of the body surface area involved. Physical and psychological aspects of QOL were not strongly related to leisure PA. Overall, it appears that individuals with more severe disease, as measured by a combination of symptoms, are less physically active in their leisure time, which could contribute to some of the co-morbidities seen in moderate-to-severe psoriasis.