Incidence of psoriasis in medical students

Psoriasis (PS) is a highly prevalent skin disease worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of PS in medical students. The patients were selected through a questionnaire delivered in the University of Marília – Marília - São Paulo - Brazil classrooms to identify disease carriers. Students from the Medical school participated in the research, totaling 351 students. The incidence of PS in this group of students was 1.424%, which agrees with the incidence in other populations. There was an association with stress, alcoholism, and smoking, both in triggering and as a factor of difficulty in treatment. In the group of students without the condition, only 9.53% reported smoking, about half (52.1%) reported drinking, and 29.19% reported stress, a lower number than in students with the disease (smoking, drinking and stress 80%). In this way, it is important to act with all patients regarding healthy lifestyle habits, thus reducing stress and discouraging the consumption of beverages and tobacco, factors that worsen PS and are also crucial in the comorbidities associated with it. Improving these patients' expectations and quality of life can benefit them in several aspects.