Psoriasis and its impact on close relatives and partners of patients – A cross‐sectional questionnaire study

Background Little is known about the exact impact of psoriasis on the disease burden of close relatives and partners of those affected by the disease. Objectives The aim of this single‐centre cross‐sectional study was to evaluate the quality of life in psoriasis patients and the impact of disease on partners and close relatives. Methods 250 plaque‐type psoriasis patients (58.4% males and 41.6% females) with mostly treatment‐controlled disease (mean PASI of 1.7 and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) of 4.1) were recruited from the Psoriasis Registry Austria (PsoRA) and their close relatives and partners were invited to participate in the study. Patient Family Impact Score (PFIS) was calculated from the FamilyPso questionnaire data to establish categories of disease burden in close relatives and partners. Results Valid FamilyPso questionnaires were returned from 153 (61.2%) close relatives and partners. Correlation analysis revealed a significant association between PASI and DLQI (r = 0.512, p