Patients with psoriasis have insufficient knowledge of their risk of atherothrombotic disease and metabolic syndrome.

Background: Knowledge is crucial to allow patients to increase their level of self-care.

Objectives: To examine the extent to which patients with moderate to severe psoriasis feel informed about their disease, to investigate their level of knowledge about psoriasis and the associated risk of atherothrombotic disease and metabolic syndrome, and to assess the importance of the kind of treatment received and of membership of a patients' association.

Methods: In total, 218 patients with psoriasis (mean age 45.5 years, range 18-83), who were being treated with methotrexate or biological drugs responded to a questionnaire.

Results: Patients were well informed about their skin disease, but were less well informed about their risk of atherothrombotic disease/metabolic syndrome (visual analogue scale values of 6.91 and 5.15, respectively). Patients' knowledge of the disease was reflected by 74.2-99.1% correct answers (CA). The risk of arthritis elicited 88% CA and of depression 41.7% CA, while the risk of atherothrombotic disease and metabolic syndrome produced only 11.9-15.3% CA. Patients treated with biological drugs had a significantly stronger sense of being more well informed about the risk of disease (P = 0.02) and their risks (P < 0.001) compared with patients treated with methotrexate. Members of a patients' association had significantly more knowledge than nonmembers about the risk of depression (P = 0.01), hypertension (P = 0.001), diabetes mellitus (P = 0.01) and obesity (P = 0.04).

Conclusions: This study shows that few patients with moderate to severe psoriasis are aware of their increased risk of atherothrombotic disease and metabolic syndrome. This indicates the need for patients to be offered education concerning the risk and prevention of atherothrombotic disease and metabolic syndrome.