Canada Gets Failing Grade in Caring for Psoriasis Patients

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Oct. 29, 2014) -

Editors Note: There is an infographic associated with this press release.

Today, the Canadian Association of Psoriasis Patients (CAPP) released a sobering report outlining the sub-optimal access to care and treatment for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patients in Canada. The provincial/territorial rankings demonstrate that where you live in Canada greatly impacts patients' access to dermatologists and treatment options. The full report and an infographic is available at www.canadianpsoriasis.ca.

Wednesday, October 29^th is World Psoriasis Day, a day dedicated to give an international voice to the 125 million people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Approximately one million Canadians live with this highly visible condition every day resulting in sometimes insurmountable burdens being placed on patients and their families.

"There are significant psychological impacts surrounding a diagnosis of psoriasis including the feelings of stigmatization, isolation, anxiety and depression," said Christine Janus, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Psoriasis Patients. "It is our commitment to advocate on behalf of patients to ensure that they have access to effective treatments, and the doctors who can support them, in order to improve their ability to live normal, healthy lives."

This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) formally recognized psoriasis and stressed the importance of all member countries to continue to address the key risk-factors by implementing the WHO global action plan for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases - full action plan can be found here: http://www.who.int/nmh/events/ncd_action_plan/en/. Following this formal recognition, CAPP developed the 2014 Report Card as a benchmark for Canada's current management of psoriasis.

"While Canada as a whole has taken steps to improve access to dermatological care, we are very disappointed to see that the quality of care for psoriasis patients across the country remains so poor," said Brooks Harvey, Board President for the Canadian Association of Psoriasis Patients. "Most provinces received failing or below average grades on access to dermatological care, access to phototherapy and access to medications."

2014 Report Card Recommendations:

The Canadian Association of Psoriasis Patients (CAPP) calls on provincial and territorial governments to take the lead, in collaboration with patients, health professionals and other stakeholders, to implement the following recommendations:

1. Improve access to dermatological care by reducing wait times for routine consultations by a dermatologist to 5 weeks within the next 3 years.
2. Improve access to phototherapy treatment by providing a clinic in every publicly funded hospital and by including home phototherapy as an insured service.
3. Improve access to medications by funding all drugs deemed to be the standard of care without restrictions.

About Psoriasis:

Psoriasis (pronounced so-RYE-a-sis) is a chronic inflammatory condition in which the immune system causes skin cells to grow at up to 10 times the normal rate causing them to pile up on the skin's surface, creating sores or lesions - often called plaques. Thick, silvery scales form atop these itchy and sometimes painful red patches. Beyond the visible skin lesions, patients have higher rates of arthritis, heart disease, depression and a host of other related conditions.

Who We Are:

The Canadian Association of Psoriasis Patents (CAPP) is a national patient organization dedicated to helping psoriasis patients and their families. We provide one-on-one support; bring together the best of emerging psoriasis news, research results and key information that can truly make a difference in the lives of patients.

More is available at www.canadianpsoriasis.ca.

To view the infographic please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/CAPP-Report-Card-infographic.pdf.