Samar Yahya Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The Saudi Society for Dermatology and Dermatological Surgery (SSDDS) announced the launch of the National Record for Psoriasis Patients at a press conference held at the Jeddah Hilton Wednesday night. Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease characterized by the appearance of red patches with husks of silver color in various sizes that most often appear on the scalp, knees, elbows, palms of hands and soles of feet. It is estimated that 2 percent of the world's population suffer from psoriasis with Europe alone accounting for 1.5 million affected patients. Though not fully understood, experts believe the disease is caused when the immune system sends the wrong signals which in turn leads to an increase in the growth cycle of skin cells. Psoriasis is linked to many other diseases such as arthritis, high blood pressure and various cardiac diseases. It is a multi-factorial disease in which the infection rate is higher in families where one of the parents suffers from psoriasis. Until now, no reliable studies or statistics in Saudi Arabia that record the prevalence of the disease are available. Current studies have been carried out by individual hospitals and do not reflect the exact spread of the disease in the Kingdom. According to these studies, the national psoriasis rate ranges from 3 to 5 percent. Patients who suffer from the disease require constant monitoring and continuous assessment in addition to follow up visits to determine the impact of treatments on patients. The new program mechanism begins with a workshop that explains the registration process. Later, a special booklet will be published and distributed in which instructions are provided on how to use the program. A four-month trial period will then place to judge the accuracy of the information and review the results. The final stage will see the program being implemented in hospitals Kingdomwide. The program aims to raise awareness on the disease, treatment possibilities and study and analyze data on psoriasis patients and publish competitive studies and research in international journals and conferences. It also aims to spread the program in the wider Arab region in cooperation with concerned scientific departments. The comprehensive record, which is not only the first of its kind in the Kingdom but the entire Middle East region, is being implemented by the SSDDS in cooperation with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. The record aims to know more about the spread of the disease in the Kingdom, the psychological and social impact on patients and their families and the future planning for medication budgets and related requirements.
