The Importance of Achieving Clear or Almost Clear Skin for Patients: Results from the Nordic Countries of the Global "Clear about Psoriasis" Patient Survey

Psoriasis is a stigmatizing chronic skin condition in which impairment of quality of life is associated with visibility of skin lesions, disease activity and severity. The ultimate goal of treatment is complete clearance of skin symptoms. The worldwide "Clear About Psoriasis" survey explored patients perspectives on clear/almost clear skin and the impact of psoriasis on daily life. We report here results from the Nordic countries (n = 609). Of respondents, 44% achieved clear/almost clear skin with their current treatment, of which 71% were comfortable discussing this expectation with their physician, compared with only 46% of patients who had not achieved clear/almost clear skin. Of patients who achieved clear/almost clear skin, 85% reported treatment satisfaction vs. 39% who had not. Psoriasis profoundly affected daily life, with 88% of respondents reporting discrimination/humiliation and 61% reporting an impact on their professional life. This report highlights stigmatization among Nordic patients with psoriasis and the potential to improve physician-patient communication.Funding Agencies|Novartis Pharma AG</p

Treatment Patterns and Clinical Outcomes of Chronic Urticaria : Two-year Follow-up Results from the Scandinavian AWARE Study

The AWARE (A World-wide Antihistamine-Refractory chronic urticaria patient Evaluation) study investigated outcomes in patients with chronic urticaria refractory to H1-antihistamine. The objective of the current study was to analyse the effects of treatment on patients symptoms and quality of life for a period of up to 2 years. Over the 2 years, there was clear improvement in the high rates of disease burden from baseline, as evidenced by lower scores for disease severity scales, better quality of life, and a decreasing rate of medical resource utilization. However, this is the result of treatment adherence to the guidelines in highly specialized Scandinavian urticaria centres, and has its basis in the relatively low treatment intensity and control at enrolment. There is a need for greater adherence to the treatment guidelines and better management of antihistamine-refractory chronic urticaria