Evaluation of disease distribution and drug utilization for management of psoriasis patients in dermatology OPD of a tertiary care centre: a retrospective observational study

Vandana Badar; Rachana R. Chavan; Mrunalini Chokhandre; Kalyani Pradhan

doi:10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20231607

Authors

Vandana Badar Department of Pharmacology, Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
Rachana R. Chavan Department of Pharmacology, Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
Mrunalini Chokhandre Department of Pharmacology, Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
Kalyani Pradhan Department of Pharmacology, Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20231607

Keywords:

Psoriasis, Clobetasol, Corticosteroids, Plaque psoriasis

Abstract

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder that can have different clinical presentations. Topical corticosteroids are the primary therapy for psoriasis, but there are many new drug options approved for its treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the prescription patterns and disease distribution of psoriasis patients in a tertiary care center in central India. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of 195 psoriasis patients treated in the Dermatology OPD of a teaching hospital from September 2020 to June 2021. We analyzed patient data for demographics, disease characteristics, and medications prescribed using frequency distributions in Microsoft Excel. Results: Plaque psoriasis was the most common clinical variant among the patients, and the male to female ratio was 1.5:1. February had the highest number of patients treated, indicating an aggravation of symptoms during cold weather. Most patients (93.33%) were prescribed topical corticosteroids, with clobetasol being the most commonly used medication (78%). The average number of drugs per prescription was 5, with other drugs prescribed including emollients (53.33%), vitamin D (31.7%), anti-histamines (21.02%), and methotrexate (5.1%). Conclusions: Topical corticosteroids, particularly clobetasol, were the most commonly prescribed medication for psoriasis patients in this study. Multiple drugs were needed for the management of most patients. The study provides insights into the prescription patterns of psoriasis medications, which may improve patient care and outcomes.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Burns T, Breathnach SM, Cox N, Griffiths C, eds. Rook's textbook of dermatology. USA: John Wiley & Sons; 2008.

Psoriasis: Causes, Triggers and Treatments: National Psoriasis Foundation. Available at: https://www. psoriasis.org/causes/. Accessed on 20 November 2022.

Yan BX, Chen XY, Ye LR, Chen JQ, Zheng M, Man XY. Cutaneous and Systemic Psoriasis: Classifications and Classification for the Distinction. Front Med. 2021;32:1820.

Rousset L, Halioua B. Stress and psoriasis. Int J Dermatol. 2018 O;57(10):1165-72.

Dogra S, Mahajan R. Psoriasis: Epidemiology, clinical features, co-morbidities, and clinical scoring. Indian Dermatol J. 2016;7(6):471.

Dogra S, Bishnoi A. Childhood psoriasis: What is new and what is news. Indian J Paediatr Dermatol. 2018; 19(4):308.

Dogra S, Kaur I. Childhood psoriasis. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2010;76(4):357.

Dogra S, Yadav S. Psoriasis in India: Prevalence and pattern. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2010; 76(6):595.

Thappa DM, Munisamy M. Research on psoriasis in India: Where do we stand?. Indian J Med Res. 2017; 146(2):147.

Goldsmith L, Katz S, Gilchrest BA, Paller AS, Leffell DJ, Wolff K. Fitzpatrick’s Dermatology in General Medicine, Ed. McGraw Hill Medical. 2012;150(4):22.

Lytvyn Y, Sachdeva M, Mufti A, Yeung J. Dermatology: how to manage psoriasis and recognize differences in pathophysiology and presentation in patients with skin of colour. Drugs Context. 2022; 11:15-9.

Branisteanu DE, Georgescu S, Serban IL, Pinzariu AC, Boda D, Maranduca MA, et al. Management of psoriasis in children. Experiment Ther Med. 2021; 22(6):1-8.

Nijsten T, Wakkee M. Complexity of the association between psoriasis and comorbidities. J Investigate Dermatol. 2009;129(7):1601-3.

Naldi L, Chatenoud L, Linder D, Fortina AB, Peserico A, Virgili AR, et al. Cigarette smoking, body mass index, and stressful life events as risk factors for psoriasis: results from an Italian case control study. J Invest Dermatol. 2005;125(1):61-7.

Katakam BK, Munisamy M, Rao TN, Chiramel MJ, Panda M, Gupta S, et al. Recommendations for management of childhood psoriasis. Indian Dermatol J. 2021;1):S71.

Qing M, Liu P, Zhu W, Chen M, Kuang Y. Analysis for 208 children with psoriasis vulgaris. J Central South Univ Med Sci. 2020;45(7):804-11.

Zheng X, Wang Q, Luo Y, Lu W, Jin L, Chen M, et al. Seasonal Variation of Psoriasis and Its Impact in the Therapeutic Management: A Retrospective Study on Chinese Patients. Clin Cosmet Investigate Dermatol. 2021;14:459.

How to investigate drug use in health facilities: selected drug use indicators. Available at: https://www.who.int. Accessed on 20 November 2022.

Bedi TR. Psoriasis in north India. Dermatology. 1977;155(5):310-4.

Naik PP. Clinical Descriptive Study of Psoriasis in India: Triggers, Morbidities and Coincidences.

Kim WB, Jerome D, Yeung J. Diagnosis and management of psoriasis. Canad Family Physic. 2017;63(4):278-85.

Krueger GG, Feldman SR, Camisa C, Duvic M, Elder JT, Gottlieb AB, et al. Two considerations for patients with psoriasis and their clinicians: What defines mild, moderate, and severe psoriasis? What constitutes a clinically significant improvement when treating psoriasis?. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2000;43(2):281-5.

Prakash B, Nadig P, Nayak A. Rational prescription for a dermatologist. Indian J Dermatol. 2016;61(1):32.

Bhosle MJ, Kulkarni A, Feldman SR, Balkrishnan R. Quality of life in patients with psoriasis. Health Quality Life Outcomes J. 2006;4(1):1-7.