Lower psoriasis area, severity scores for women versus men

(HealthDay)—Women have lower median Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores than men, according to a study published online March 24 in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology.

David Hägg, from Umeå University in Sweden, and colleagues examined the sex differences in the severity of psoriasis using the PASI and the distinct elements of the PASI score in a cross-sectional study involving 5,438 patients experiencing moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

The researchers found that across all ages, women had statistically significantly lower median PASI scores than men (5.4 versus 7.3; P < 0.001). Women had significantly lower scores in all areas of the body than men, except for the head, in itemized PASI analyses. There were no differences in medication use prior to enrollment that could have caused these differences.

"These findings motivate a gender perspective in the management of psoriasis and in the prevention and management of its comorbidities," the authors write.