Patient Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Psoriasis Vulgaris and Factors Believed to Trigger the Disease: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study with 1621 Patients

Melek Aslan Kayıran; Ayşe Serap Karadağ; İlteriş Oğuz Topal; Selma Emre; Esra Adışen; Sevilay Oğuz Kılıç; Nuray Keskin; Asude Kara Polat; Bengü Çevirgen Cemil; Mualla Polat; Oğuz Yılmaz; Hilal Ayvaz; Filiz Topaloğlu Demir; Sezgi Sarıkaya Solak; Derya Uçmak; Sema Aytekin; Mehmet Salih Gürel; Algün Polat Ekinci; Kübra Nursel Bölük; Neslihan Şendur; Tuğba Özkök Akbulut; Günseli Öztürk; Ayda Acar; Erkan Alpsoy

doi:10.5826/dpc.1204a190

Patient Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Psoriasis Vulgaris and Factors Believed to Trigger the Disease: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study with 1621 Patients

Authors

Melek Aslan Kayıran İstanbul Medeniyet University, Göztepe Prof Dr Süleyman Yalçın City Hospital, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Ayşe Serap Karadağ Ataşehir Memorial Hospital, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
İlteriş Oğuz Topal Health Sciences University, Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşçıoğlu Hospital, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Selma Emre Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Esra Adışen Gazi University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Sevilay Oğuz Kılıç Çanakkale 18 Mart University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Nuray Keskin Gazi University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Asude Kara Polat Health Sciences University, İstanbul Training and Research Hospital, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Bengü Çevirgen Cemil Health Sciences University, Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Training and Research Hospital, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Mualla Polat Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases, Bolu, Turkey
Oğuz Yılmaz Akdeniz University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Hilal Ayvaz Süleyman Demirel University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Filiz Topaloğlu Demir İstanbul Medipol University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Sezgi Sarıkaya Solak Trakya University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Derya Uçmak Dicle University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Sema Aytekin Health Sciences University, Haydarpaşa Training and Research Hospital Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Mehmet Salih Gürel Istanbul Medeniyet University, Göztepe Prof Dr Süleyman Yalçın City Hospital, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Algün Polat Ekinci İstanbul University, İstanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Kübra Nursel Bölük İstanbul University, İstanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Neslihan Şendur Adnan Menderes University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Tuğba Özkök Akbulut tugbaozkokakbulut@gmail.com Health Sciences University, Haseki Training and Research Hospital, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases
Günseli Öztürk Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases İzmir
Ayda Acar Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases İzmir
Erkan Alpsoy Akdeniz University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatological and Venereal Diseases

Keywords:

psoriasis vulgaris, complementary and alternative medicine, diet, gluten, stress

Abstract

Background: Due to the chronic, recurrent nature of Psoriasis vulgaris (PV) and lack of definitive treatment for the disease, patients often resort to alternative treatments. Physicians seem to have low awareness of this issue.

Objectives: To elicit the perceptions of 1,621 PV patients on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and examine factors reported to worsen PV.

Methods: The patients’ sociodemographic characteristics, Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), disease duration, and severity were recorded, and the patients’ CAM use was questioned in detail. The patients were also asked about factors that worsened PV and their experiences with a gluten-free diet.

Results: Of the patients, 56.51% had used CAM. The mean age, illness duration, PASI score,s and DLQI of those using CAM were significantly higher. CAM use were significantly higher in those with facial, genital involvement, and arthralgia/arthritis. The patients mostly referred to CAM when PV became severe (46.4%). Of the CAM users, 45.52% used herbal topicals. The physicians of 67.03% did not inquire whether they used CAM. Of the participants, 37.73% considered that stress worsened their disease. Gluten-free diet did not affect PV symptoms in 52.22%.

Conclusions: Patients’ CAM use is often overlooked by dermatologists. Our results showed that more than half the patients used CAM and did not share this information with their physicians. Therefore, the awareness of physicians should be increased and patients should be asked about the use of CAM and directed to the appropriate medical treatment options by physicians.

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