Psoriasis: Prevalence, Clinical Variants and Quality of Life, Among Patients Attending the Skin Clinic at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Uganda

Abstract

Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory skin disorder that causes a detrimental physical and psychological impact on people living with the disease. However, little is known about its current prevalence, clinical variants, and quality of life among patients in Uganda. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of psoriasis, clinical variants, and quality of life (QoL) among patients attending Skin Clinic, Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH), in western Uganda. Methods: A cross-sectional study design and consecutive sampling were used. It was conducted between January and March 2023 at the skin clinic, MRRH, with a sample size of 384. The patients were thoroughly examined to assess clinical variants, and Quality of Life was evaluated using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Data obtained was entered using Excel version 20 and analyzed using STATA version 12.0 and GraphPad Prism 9.00. Descriptive statistics and comparison analysis (students t-test and ANOVA) were done. Results: The overall prevalence of psoriasis was 3.91%. Majority of cases (86.67%) had chronic plaque psoriasis, 60% had a severe disease, and 60% were between 4 and 40 years. Most affected sites were arms (60%) and back (60%) and shins (53.33%), and the leas taffected were nails and dorsal feet (6.67%). Psoriasis moderately reduces QoL, with an overall mean DLQI score of 8.95 ± 1.35. There was no significant difference between QoL and age or gender. Conclusion: Prevalence of psoriasis at MRRH in western Uganda is 3.91%. Chronic plaque psoriasis was the most common variant (86.67%), and the disease moderately affects the quality of life.