COVID-19 and mortality in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis

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This study looked at the mortality trends of Psoriasis (PsO) and Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) between 2010 and 2021, focusing on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Background:
Little is known about mortality trends among patients with psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in the United States.

Objectives:
To ascertain mortality trends of PsO and PsA between 2010 and 2021, focusing on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:
We collected data from the National Vital Statistic System and calculated age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) and cause-specific mortality for PsO/PsA. We evaluated observed versus predicted mortality for 2020–2021 based on trends from 2010 to 2019 with joinpoint and prediction modelling analysis.

Results:
Among 5810 and 2150 PsO- and PsA-related deaths between 2010 and 2021, ASMR for PsO dramatically increased between 2010–2019 and 2020–2021 (annual percentage change [APC] 2.07% vs. 15.26%; p < 0.01), leading to a higher observed ASMR (per 100,000 persons) than predicted for 2020 (0.27 vs. 0.22) and 2021 (0.31 vs. 0.23). The excess mortality of PsO was 22.7% and 34.8% higher than that in the general population in 2020 (16.4%, 95% CI: 14.9%–17.9%) and 2021 (19.8%, 95% CI: 18.0%–21.6%) respectively. Notably, the ASMR rise for PsO was most pronounced in the female (APC: 26.86% vs. 12.19% in males) and the middle-aged group (APC: 17.67% vs. 12.47% in the old-age group). ASMR, APC and excess mortality for PsA were similar to PsO. SARS-CoV-2 infection contributed to more than 60% of the excess mortality for PsO and PsA.

Conclusions:
Individuals living with PsO and PsA were disproportionately affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both ASMRs increased at an alarming rate, with the most pronounced disparities among the female and middle-aged groups.

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com

*Funding: National Natural Science Foundation of China