Background: The reported prevalence of depression among individuals with psoriasis varies substantially, and the effect of gender on depression distribution has revealed conflicting results. In addition, using medication to identify cases is uncommon.
Objective: To study the prevalence of pharmacologically treated depression among individuals with and without psoriasis in a Swedish population using ICD-10 codes and data from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register.
Methods: A retrospective case-control population-based study was performed including all living individuals (age ≥18 years) in Region Jönköping, southern Sweden (n = 273,536). ICD-10 codes for the diagnosis of psoriasis (L40.*) and depression (F32.* and F33.*), and data on pharmacological treatment from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register, were extracted from electronic medical records between April 9, 2008 and January 1, 2016. The extraction date was January 1, 2016.
Results: The risk of pharmacologically treated depression was increased in individuals with psoriasis (age- and sex-adjusted OR 1.55; CI 1.43-1.68); 21.1% of women with psoriasis received pharmacological treatment for depression during the study period compared to 14.2% in the control population. Prevalence figures for depression were significantly higher in women with psoriasis compared to men. The risk of suffering from depression was highest among male and female patients with psoriasis under the age of 31 years.
Conclusions: Depression is common among patients with psoriasis. The results of the current study underline the need for dermatologists to adopt a holistic approach, looking beyond the skin, when handling patients with psoriasis in every-day clinical practice.
Keywords: Age; Comorbidity; Depression; Psoriasis; Sex.
© 2020 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.