Risks of developing psychiatric disorders in pediatric patients with psoriasis

Background Symptoms of psoriasis can be embarrassing and distressing, and may increase risk of developing psychiatric disorders in young people. Objective We sought to compare incidences of psychiatric disorders between pediatric patients with psoriasis and psoriasis-free control subjects. Methods Patients ( Results Patients with psoriasis were significantly more at risk of developing psychiatric disorders versus control subjects (5.13% vs 4.07%; P  = .0001; hazard ratio = 1.25; P  = .0001), especially depression (3.01% vs 2.42%; P  = .0036; hazard ratio = 1.25; P  = .0053) and anxiety (1.81% vs 1.35%; P  = .0048; hazard ratio = 1.32; P  = .0045). Limitations Retrospective, observational studies of medical claims data are typically limited by overall quality and completeness of data and accuracy of coding for diagnoses and procedures. Conclusions Pediatric patients with psoriasis had an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety, compared with psoriasis-free control subjects.