Description: Many Americans with chronic moderate or severe psoriasis receive no treatment or inadequate treatment, a new survey from the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) shows.

The poll also revealed a link between severe psoriasis and low income.

Psoriasis is a non-contagious disease in which the immune system causes skin to grow at an accelerated rate.

The surveys, conducted from 2003 to 2005, found that nearly 40 percent of people with chronic moderate or severe psoriasis were receiving no treatment, and that 57 percent of people with severe psoriasis, and 73 percent of those with moderate psoriasis, were receiving topical treatment only. Over half of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis were not receiving treatment that meets American Academy of Dermatology guidelines.

Those guidelines say that people with chronic moderate to severe psoriasis are candidates for phototherapy or systemic therapy, including biologic agents. However, many of