The economic burden of psoriasis with high comorbidity among privately insured patients in the United States

<b>Objective:</b> To evaluate the impact of comorbidities on healthcare resource use (HRU), and direct and indirect work-loss-related costs in psoriasis patients. <b>Methods:</b> Adults with psoriasis (≥2 diagnoses, the first designated as the index date) and non-psoriasis controls (no psoriasis diagnoses, randomly generated index date) were identified in a US healthcare claims database of privately-insured patients (data between January 2010 and March 2017 were used). Psoriasis patients were stratified based on the number of psoriasis-related comorbidities (0, 1–2, or ≥3) developed during the 12 months post-index. All outcomes were evaluated during the follow-up period, spanning the index date until the end of continuous health plan eligibility or data cut-off. HRU and costs per-patient-per-year (PPPY) were compared in psoriasis and non-psoriasis patients with ≥12 months of follow-up. <b>Results:</b> A total of 9,078 psoriasis (mean age = 44 years, 51% female) and 48,704 non-psoriasis (mean age = 41 years, 50% female) patients were selected. During the 12 months post-index, among psoriasis vs non-psoriasis patients, 71.0% vs 83.0% developed no psoriasis-related comorbidities, 26.3% vs 16.0% developed 1–2, and 2.6% vs 1.0% developed ≥3 psoriasis-related comorbidities. Compared to non-psoriasis patients, psoriasis patients had more HRU including outpatient visits (incidence rate ratios [IRRs] = 1.52, 2.03, and 2.66 for 0, 1–2, and ≥3 comorbidities, respectively [all <i>p</i> p p p <b>Conclusions:</b> HRU and cost burden of psoriasis are substantial, and increase with the development of psoriasis-related comorbidities.