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Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory proliferative disease of the skin 1. It is characterized by thick scaling and red plaques that can be localized or widespread and it is associated with itching and arthritis. Its’ treatment is fairly broad and it ranges from topical therapies and phototherapy to systemic agents such as retinoids, methotrexate and cyclosporine 7,8 Millions of people worldwide are affected with this condition and studies have demonstrated substantial impact of psoriasis on quality of life, even in patients with relatively limited affected body surface area 2. The prevalence of psoriasis worldwide is estimated to range from 0.6 – 4.8%3
There are various factors that have been shown to be associated with impaired quality of life in patients with psoriasis such as body surface area affected, gender, type of psoriasis, and affordability to treatment 4, 5, 6.
There are very few studies done in Tanzania or Africa at large addressing how psoriasis impaires quality of life despite increasing prevalence of this condition. Most of the publications originate from the U.S and Europe.
The aim of this study was therefore to determine the spectra and quality of life of patients with this condition and its associated factors in our setup.
The study was conducted at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) which is one of the four consultant hospitals in Tanzania. It serves as referral centre for Northern zone and some Regions in the central zone. The catchment area of KCMC is approximately 12million with patients coming from Kilimanjaro, Tanga, Arusha, Dodoma, and Singida. Patients also come from neighboring countries especially Southern part of Kenya. The Regional Dermatology Training Centre (RDTC) based at the KCMC is a specialized training centre for Dermatology, Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and Leprosy. It was founded in 1992 as a joint venture between the Government of Tanzania through the Ministry of Health, International Foundation of Dermatology (IFD) and KCMC. It is also a World Health Organization (WHO) collaborating centre in the field of Dermatology, STDs and Leprosy. |
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