Correlation of Psoriasis Disability Index and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index: A Study from Afghanistan

Background: Psoriasis is a common skin disease that affects physical, psychological, and social well-being of patients. Several studies have assessed health-related quality of life of patients with psoriasis in different populations with large variations. Objective: To investigate, for the first time, the impact of psoriasis on quality of life of Afghan patients with psoriasis. Methods: This is a prospective observational study conducted at the dermatology department of Maiwand Teaching hospital in Kabul City during April 2018 to May 2019. Patients with plaque psoriasis with age >= 16 years were included in the study. Psoriasis Disability Index was used for the assessment of health-related quality of life. Psoriasis Area and Severity Index was used to define the severity of disease. Appropriate tests were performed using Statistical Package for Social Science. Results: A total of 174 patients with psoriasis were included in the study, 89 of them were male (51.1%) and 85 of them were female (48.9%). The mean age of the patients was 27.7 years with 13.2 years SD, and the average duration of the disease was 3.2 years with 4.7 years SD. The mean of PASI score was 13.3 with 7.8 SD, while the mean of total PDI was 9.6 with 3.7 SD; there was a strong correlation between total PDI and PASI score (r=0.751, p<0.001). The mean of total PDI was higher among moderate-to-severe psoriasis, female patients, younger age, and those who were single. Conclusion: Our study highlighted that psoriasis disability index was highly correlated with psoriasis area and severity index. Furthermore, the quality of life was more affected among female patients, patients younger than 40 years, and those patients who were single.