Women with psoriasis should be proactively screened for genital symptoms, dermatologists suggest, after a study found an 11-year lag between symptom onset and diagnosis of vulval disease.

The study revealed vulval psoriasis was underdiagnosed and undertreated, leading to emotional distress, sexual dysfunction and feelings of shame among women.

Associate Professor Gayle Fischer, from Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital, and registrar Dr Michelle Wu conducted a retrospective chart review of 350 patients with vulval psoriasis attending a large dermatology practice.

The study — the biggest single-cohort investigation examining management of vulval psoriasis — found evidence of extragenital psoriasis in 72% of patients, with only 20% of patients having a prior diagnosis of psoriasis.