Mortality Profiles of Patients with Psoriasis in the Newfoundland and Labrador Founder Population

Purpose The aim of this study is to investigate mortality profiles of a large sample of psoriasis patients among the Newfoundland and Labrador founder population during a 15-year period, 1991 to 2005. Methods This study is the first step of a multi-phase study that links clinical and administrative data to investigate comorbidities associated with psoriasis among the Newfoundland and Labrador founder population. Medical records of a large cohort of patients with psoriasis (n = 3,472) from a dermatology clinic were linked to the provincial Mortality System via provincial health insurance number. Descriptive analyses for those individuals who had psoriasis and subsequently died were performed based on age, sex, age of onset, severity of disease, and causes of death. Results Among 3,472 patients with psoriasis, 169 (96 males and 73 females) were identified in the provincial Mortality System. Mean (±SD) age at death among psoriatic patients was 70.5 (±13.3) years, compared to provincial and national life expectancy of 78.5 and 80.2 years, respectively. More than half of the deceased patients had mild psoriasis (58.2%) and were diagnosed after age of 25 years (95.6%). Preliminary analysis identifies circulatory disorders (44%) as the most common cause of death among psoriatic patients, followed by neoplasms (24.9%); symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions ranked third (10%). Among the founder population (2003), circulatory disorders and neoplasms were the leading causes of death (36.1% and 27.5%, respectively), with symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions ranking twelfth (0.7%). Conclusion Compared to the founder population, patients with psoriasis died at a younger age and with a higher frequency of circulatory disorders and ill-defined conditions. Findings and lessons learned from this phase will be used in subsequent phases, and will broaden our understanding of comorbidities among individuals with psoriasis.