PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Maha Abo-Tabik AU - Rosa Parisi AU - Catharine Morgan AU - Sarah Willis AU - Christopher EM Griffiths AU - Darren Ashcroft TI - Mapping opportunities for the earlier diagnosis of psoriasis in primary care settings in the UK. AID - 10.3399/BJGP.2022.0137 DP - 2022 Aug 27 TA - British Journal of General Practice PG - BJGP.2022.0137 4099 - http://bjgp.org/content/early/2022/08/26/BJGP.2022.0137.short 4100 - http://bjgp.org/content/early/2022/08/26/BJGP.2022.0137.full AB - Background: The diagnosis of psoriasis may be missed or delayed in primary care settings. Aim: To identify potential missed opportunities for earlier diagnosis of psoriasis. Design and setting: Two matched case-control studies using electronic healthcare records delineated from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD GOLD and Aurum) in the UK. Methods: Individuals aged 18 years or above with an incident diagnosis of psoriasis (cases) were identified and matched with six individuals without psoriasis (controls). Healthcare activities including clinical diagnoses, recorded clinical features and prescribed medications were examined and their annual incidence rates (IR) and incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95% confidence intervals for 10 years before the index date were compared between cases and controls. Results: Data analysis showed that people with psoriasis were up to eight-times more likely to be diagnosed with pityriasis rosea at six months before the index date than controls. Cases were twice as likely to be diagnosed with eczema or tinea corporis one year before diagnosis. Cases were also more likely to report certain clinical features suggestive of psoriasis (including dry skin, rash, skin texture changes and itching) than controls up to five years before index date. The most frequently reported clinical feature was rash. Cases were prescribed topical corticosteroids or topical antifungals in the year before diagnosis twice as often as controls. Conclusions: Being aware of potential missed opportunities for the earlier diagnosis of psoriasis could alert general practitioners to suspect psoriasis diagnosis thereby avoiding a delay in establishing an appropriate treatment regimen.