Revised: February 24, 2014
Accepted: April 25, 2014
Published online: August 2, 2014
The study of specific differences between women and men is arousing huge interests in various fields of medicine, including dermatology. The available data on gender medicine applied to common skin diseases are unfortunately still scanty. Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated skin disease which affects 1%-3% of most populations worldwide and can involve also the joints and entheses. The pathogenesis of the disease is very complex, resulting from the interaction between genetic predisposition and several environmental triggers. The pathogenic role of sex hormones has also been hypothesized. The analysis of gender-specific differences in psoriasis seems to suggest some interesting findings, such as an earlier age of disease onset in females, a higher probability of severe disease in men, or different tendencies in care utilization, adherence to treatment, development of psychological distress, and coping strategies. Moreover, sex-related differences have been recently described in some epidemiological and clinical features among patients with psoriatic arthritis. The objective of this article is to review briefly the available evidence regarding gender differences in various aspects of psoriasis, such as epidemiology, genetics, risk factors, associated conditions, quality of life, clinical and therapeutic aspects.
Core tip: The study of specific differences between women and men is arousing huge interests in various fields of medicine, including dermatology. The available data on gender medicine applied to common skin diseases are unfortunately still scanty. The objective of this brief review is to provide hints for the presence of sex differences in various aspects of psoriasis, from epidemiology to pathogenesis, from clinical aspects to therapeutic management, trying to examine the evidence available in the literature.