[Medical Q&A] At what age is one most likely to develop psoriasis?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Li Fei, deputy chief physician of the Special Medical Center of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force

The disease may occur at any age, but it is more common in young and middle-aged people.

According to surveys, about 2/3 of patients develop the disease before the age of 40; statistics also show that there are two peak ages of onset, namely 15 to 25 years old and 50 to 60 years old.

In 1984, my country conducted a large-scale epidemiological survey, surveying 6,617,917 people in 24 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government. A total of 11,393 cases of psoriasis were found, of which the standardized prevalence rates of men and women were 1.68% and 1.24%, respectively, with significant statistical differences, and the incidence rate of men was slightly higher than that of women. The highest age of onset was in the 20-24 age group (17.22%) for men and in the 15-19 age group (18.46%) for women. 75% of patients had their first onset before the age of 34, which also confirms the view that psoriasis is more likely to occur in young and middle-aged people.