Cognitive impairment in patients with psoriasis: A matched case-control study.

BACKGROUND: In the past decade, a few studies have suggested that psoriasis could be associated with the presence of mild cognitive deficits. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present matched case-control study was to investigate several cognitive domains (executive functions, verbal memory, attention, and language) in a sample of outpatients with psoriasis. We also investigated whether cognitive impairment was associated with poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with psoriasis. METHODS: Fifty adult outpatients and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests investigating major cognitive domains, psychopathology (anxiety and depression), alexithymia, and HRQoL. RESULTS: At the bivariate level, psoriasis patients (compared to healthy controls) performed worse on most of the neuropsychological tests, and they also reported more anxiety and depressive symptoms, higher scores for alexithymia, and worse physical and mental health. At the multivariate level, cognitive performance was independently associated with psoriasis even when controlling for psychopathology and alexithymia. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with psoriasis show impaired cognitive performance, high levels of anxiety and depression, and impaired quality of life. Based on the current results, clinicians should assess the presence of psychological symptoms in their patients and evaluate whether the presence of cognitive deficits is limiting the patients' ability to cope with the disease.

Health-related quality of life and its association with alexithymia and difficulties in emotion regulation in patients with psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in psoriasis patients could be negatively affected by medical (e.g., obesity) and psychological (e.g., depression, anxiety, and alexithymia) conditions the presence of which suggests difficulties in understanding and regulating inner states and emotions. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate HRQoL and its association with obesity and difficulties in understanding and regulating inner states and emotions in patients with psoriasis. A second objective was to examine whether the presence of difficulties in understanding and regulating inner states and emotions may mediate the association between psoriasis and poor HRQoL. METHOD: One hundred adult outpatients and 97 healthy controls were administered a checklist assessing major socio-demographic variables, and measures of HRQoL, difficulties in emotion regulation, alexithymia, anxiety, depression, and food craving. RESULTS: Psoriasis patients (compared to controls) reported more frequently obesity, alexithymia, anxiety, depression and food craving, and reported lower scores on the mental and physical components of HRQoL. A mediation model, with mental health as the dependent variable, indicated significant direct and indirect (through BMI, difficulties in emotion regulation, anxiety, depression, and food craving) effects of psoriasis on the quality of life, so that psoriasis was associated with worse mental health. A second mediation model with physical health as dependent variable indicated only a significant indirect effect (through BMI and depression) of psoriasis on the quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Psoriasis is characterized by poor HRQoL and the presence of difficulties in understanding and regulating inner states and emotions. In patients with psoriasis the possible influence of food craving on abnormal eating habits should be carefully assessed.