We’re starting a campaign to be healthcare literate: Know how your insurance plan works for you, and own your health story.

 

When considering your health coverage, don’t just think about your current condition. Be mindful about what lies ahead, and put preventive care forward.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects around 2-3% of the US adult population. And among these, 73% of patients have at least one comorbidity. Researchers have found the association with other diseases have the common denominator of systemic inflammatory conditions. These have a heavy presence in physical and psychosocial conditions affecting: inflammatory bowel syndrome, metabolic, psychiatric, cardiovascular, uveitis, osteoporosis, obstructive pulmonary diseases, and certain kinds of cancer.

When consulting with your primary care provider about your risk for comorbidity, consider the risk factors. Researchers have identified age, sex, nicotine abuse, dyslipidemia, and arterial hypertension as the most prominent. They also recommend that psoriatic patients at risk for comorbidity be monitored for psychosocial stress and mental illness, along with regular physiological health monitoring.

In considering your healthcare coverage, be conscious of specialists within your physician’s primary network who have experience caring for psoriasis patients. We also recommended being wise to prescription coverage, as these may be affected by comorbidity.

It is necessary for your doctor to recognize comorbid diseases early on as they influence your condition management options. Medication or medical treatment for comorbid diseases may adversely affect your psoriasis, and vice versa, so be aware of how flexible your healthcare plan will be in the event of exploring your treatment options.

Comorbidities are very common in patients with psoriasis, and their presence has important practical implications for your health management. Your health choices should always trend toward adopting a healthier lifestyle, including good diet and exercise, and avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.

 

Head’s up! Carevena is dedicated to advocating for the patient community to advocate for themselves. We believe that informing you helps you to inform yourself and others around you. That said, we are not medical experts. We open the lanes of communication between you and your care community to encourage exploring research and your care options to make more informed decisions for yourself.

Carevena cares about you, and wants to empower you to be a participant in your health. Join us on this journey to make better health a reality. Learn more about the Dermitrax app that helps you manage your skincare condition, and be a part of a community that puts you first.

 

Sources:

  1. Aurangabadkar SJ. Comorbidities in psoriasis. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol [serial online] 2013 [cited 2017 Apr 11];79, Suppl S1:10-7. Available from: http://www.ijdvl.com/text.asp?2013/79/7/10/115506
  2. Bavoso, Nádia Couto; dos Santos Diniz, Michelle; and Machado-Pinto, Jackson. Psoriasis: new Comorbidities. Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia [serial online] 2016 [cited 2017 Apr 11];91, no.1. Available from: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0365-05962016000100008&script=sci_arttext
  3. “Comorbidities Associated with Psoriatic Disease.” Comorbidities Associated with Psoriatic Disease | National Psoriasis Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. [11 Apr. 2017]. Available form: https://www.psoriasis.org/about-psoriasis/related-conditions
  4. Samalonis, Lisa. Comorbidities in Psoriasis. The Dermatologist [online source] 2014 [cited 2017 Apr 11]. Available from: http://www.the-dermatologist.com/content/comorbidities-psoriasis

 

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