The relationship between psoriasis and specific professional activities or occupation-induced skin diseases

Abstract

Background: Psoriasis is a systemic, immune-mediated disease, associated with significant comorbidities, with a high negative impact on the quality of life. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the profession of patients diagnosed with psoriasis and establish a correlation between the disease and occupation. Patients and Methods: In an outpatient clinic, 1236 patients were diagnosed with psoriasis during eight years (2004-2011) and followed up for different clinical parameters and details in their working places. Results: Of 1236 patients, 669 were male (54.13%) and 567 (45.87%) female, with a predominance of male over female (1.18/1); the median age at diagnosis was 29.34 ± 15.24; the retired individuals were mostly representatives (149, 12.6%), followed by pupils (112, 9.06%), employees (108, 8.74%), engineers (87, 7.04%), students (70, 5.66%), managers (56, 4.53%), housewives (54, 4.37%), professors (53, 4.28%), drivers (46, 3.72%), salesmen (39, 3.16%), economists (38, 3.07%), healthcare professionals (32, 2.59%). Others were unemployed (71 - 8.77%) or had other occupations. Conclusions: The results did not conclusively declare psoriasis as an occupational or occupational-induced disease.