Background: In the UK, referrals to specialists are initiated by general practitioners (GPs). Study objectives were to\r\nestimate the incidence of diagnosed psoriasis in the UK and identify factors associated with GP referrals to\r\ndermatologists.\r\nMethods: Newly diagnosed patients with psoriasis were identified in The Health Improvement Network (THIN)\r\ndatabase between 01 July 2007-31 Oct 2009. Incidence of diagnosed psoriasis was calculated using the number of\r\nnew psoriasis patients in 2008 and the mid-year total patient count for THIN in 2008. A nested caseââ?¬â??control design\r\nand conditional logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with referral.\r\nResults: Incidence rate of diagnosed adult psoriasis in 2008 was 28/10,000 person-years. Referral rate to\r\ndermatologists was 18.1 (17.3-18.9) per 100 person-years. In the referred cohort (N=1,950), 61% were referred within\r\n30 days of diagnosis and their median time to referral was 0 days from diagnosis. For those referred after 30 days\r\n(39%, median time to referral: 5.6 months), an increase in the number of GP visits prior to referral increased the\r\nlikelihood of referral (OR=1.87 95% CI:1.73-2.01). A prescription of topical agents such as vitamin D3 analogues 30\r\ndays before referral increased the likelihood of being referred (OR=4.67 95% CI: 2.78-7.84), as did corticosteroids\r\n(OR=2.45 95% CI: 1.45-4.07) and tar products (OR=1.95 95% CI: 1.02-3.75).\r\nConclusions: Estimates of the incidence of diagnosed adult psoriasis, referral rates to dermatologists, and\r\ncharacteristics of referred patients may assist in understanding the burden on the UK healthcare system and\r\nmanaging this population in primary and secondary care
Loading....