Assessing the Comorbidity Cycle Between Psoriasis and Addiction Based on ICD Coding in the Stockholm Psoriasis Cohort
2025

Psoriasis and Addiction: A Study of Their Relationship

Sample size: 4545 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): WECKER Hannah, SVEDBOM Axel, SÁNCHEZ ORREGO Fabio, ZIEHFREUND Stefanie, STÅHLE Mona, ZINK Alexander

Primary Institution: Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Munich, Germany

Hypothesis

The study aimed to investigate the cumulative incidence of addictions in psoriasis patients and controls in the Stockholm Psoriasis Cohort.

Conclusion

Psoriasis patients showed a tendency towards a higher risk of addiction, particularly alcohol dependency, compared to controls.

Supporting Evidence

  • Psoriasis patients had 1.4 times higher odds of addiction diagnosis than controls.
  • Alcohol dependency was the most common addiction diagnosis among psoriasis patients.
  • Patients were 4.3 times more likely to develop an addiction after their psoriasis diagnosis than before.

Takeaway

People with psoriasis might be more likely to have problems with addiction, especially alcohol, than those without psoriasis.

Methodology

The study used data from the Stockholm Psoriasis Cohort, which included psoriasis patients and matched controls, analyzing medical records and addiction diagnoses from 1987 to 2013.

Potential Biases

Potential biases include missing or incomplete data and reliance on physician-made diagnoses.

Limitations

The study may underestimate addiction due to reliance on ICD codes and lacks recent data, which could affect outcomes.

Participant Demographics

The cohort included 4,545 individuals, with 56.4% female and a median age of 40 years.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.009

Confidence Interval

95% CI: 0.98–1.98

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.2340/actadv.v105.41221

Want to read the original?

Access the complete publication on the publisher's website

View Original Publication