World Psoriasis Day Press Release from International Federation of Psoriasis Associations, IFPA

Press release from International Federation of Psoriasis Associations, IFPA

October 28, 2008

Psoriasis needs to be taken more seriously

There are more than 125 million people with psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis in the world. Psoriasis is a severe chronic inflammatory disease that effects all ages, genders, races and ethnicities.

People with psoriasis exhibit a wide range of symptoms. A majority of people face a very poor quality of life because they are undertreated, or treatments are not correctly prescribed, are very expensive or may cause serious side effects. Psoriasis has a huge impact on people’s lives, both physical, mental, social and socioeconomic.

To raise awareness of psoriasis and to give these people the attention and consideration they deserve the national psoriasis associations around the world have come together and declared October 29 as World Psoriasis Day. Conceived by patients for patients, World Psoriasis Day is a truly global event that is focusing on the burden of living with psoriasis, a burden that can be prevented.

This year for World Psoriasis Day, the national psoriasis associations will be informing their governments about the fact that psoriasis is a severe disease that will generate enormous direct or indirect costs on the society, if the people suffering from the disease are not provided the best treatment and modern medicine in order to keep the inflammatory processes under control.

The national psoriasis associations will also ask for the support of the national governments to have World Health Organisation (WHO) to include psoriasis in the WHO Strategy for Prevention and Control of Non communicable Diseases.

 We hope that psoriasis will be accepted as a severe chronic, non-communicable inflammatory disease and that support from world leading experts will make the best treatments available all over the world, says Lars Ettarp, President of IFPA, International Federation of Psoriasis Associations.

It is unbelievable and unacceptable that there still is stigmatisation and discrimination caused by psoriasis when it could be avoided. In the developing countries, psoriasis and its symptoms of skin changes are often confused for other infectious and serious diseases that have skin symptoms such as, fungal infections, leprosy, leishmaniasis, syphilis or even HIV/AIDS.

IFPAs vision is a world without human suffering from psoriasis. To achieve that psoriasis needs to be taken more seriously by national and international authorities.

For more information, please contact:

Lars Ettarp

President of IFPA, International Federation of Psoriasis Associations

Mobile: +46 708 592 112

E-mail: lars@ettarp.se

World Psoriasis Day is an annual day specially dedicated to people with psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis. Conceived by patients for patients, World Psoriasis Day is a truly global event that sets out to give an international voice to the 125 million people with psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis.

On October 29 International Federation of Psoriasis Association, IFPA its member associations and support groups perform activities all over the world to raise awareness about psoriasis and give people with psoriasis the attention and consideration they deserve. Read more – www.worldpsoriasisday.com

The International Federation of Psoriasis Associations (IFPA) is a nonprofit organization made up of psoriasis associations from around the world, representing 125 million people who suffer from psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis. More information about IFPA - www.ifpa-pso.org