Psoriasis negatively affects sexual health

the Clinical Advisor take:

More than one-third of patients with psoriasis have genital involvement, which severely impacts their quality of life and sexual health, findings from a study published in the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology indicate.

Patients with psoriasis and genital involvement reported having sex less often and worse sexual function compared with patients whose genitals were not impacted by the disease, noted Caitriona Ryan, MD, of Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and her colleagues.

“[Psoriasis] has a very profound impact on their relationships and their sexuality," Ryan told Reuters Health.

To ascertain factors associated with the development of genital psoriasis and its impact on quality of life and sexual functioning, Ryan and colleagues conducted an observational, multicenter study of 354 consecutive patients with psoriasis.

Of the patients, 38% (n=134) reported current genital involvement while 64% (n=224) had a current and/or previous history of genital involvement. Among female patients, 51% had involvement of the labia majora, 28% the perineum, and 23% the labia minora. For male patients, the most commonly affected areas were the penile shaft (36%), scrotum (33%), and glans penis (29%).

Younger age of onset of psoriasis, male sex, more severe disease, and involvement of the scalp, flexures, and nails were associated with presence of genital disease, reported the investigators. Patients with genital psoriasis had more impairment in quality of life and sexual health as determined by the Dermatology Life Quality Index (P=0.01) and the Relationship and Sexuality Scale (P<0.0001).

"It's an area that's really been neglected with regard to topical treatments and systemic treatments," Ryan said.

"These patients are distressed by their genital disease, and it's an area that really needs to be addressed."