Therapeutic Education Program in Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting 1 to 3% of the French population. Moderate to severe psoriasis has a significant impact on quality of life. Psoriasis is associated with an increased risk of depression, social isolation, unemployment. In addition, it has recently be shown that patients with moderate to severe psoriasis have an increased incidence of cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, overweight, hyperlipidemia and exposure to tobacco and alcohol. These so-called comorbidites may have a negative impact on psoriasis management. They also may account for the reduced life expectancy reported in patients with severe psoriasis. Therapeutic education is a structured process whose objective is to help patients to acquire or to maintain competencies that are required to live with a chronic disease. Therapeutic education is an important process to be integrated into the therapeutic strategy. It has to take into account co-morbidities, social and psychological context and its priorities need to be defined with the patient.

Inclusion criteria

• Moderate to severe psoriasis defined as patients receiving a systemic psoriasis treatment including methotrexate, cyclosporine, PUVA, retinoids or a biological agent and with significant impact on quality of life defined as a Skindex > 18
• Patients with palmo-plantar or erythrodermic psoriasis may be included if they can be classified as moderate to severe according the above described definitions

Exclusion criteria

• Patients not able to give informed consent,
• Patients not able to follow the program,
• Patients without social security affiliation.