10 Clinical Pearls in Psoriasis

Bruce Strober, MD, PhD

Dr Strober, an expert in psoriasis, provides 10 clinical pearls from the psoriasis presentations presented at MauiDerm 2014.

1. Psoriasis is associated with chronic kidney disease.
2. Psoriasis is associated with 5-yr reduced life-expectancy.
3. Psoriasis is more highly associated with diabetes risk than is rheumatoid arthritis.
4. IL-17 inhibition is associated with very high efficacy.
5. Ustekinumab is an IL-12/23 inhibitor that has some efficacy in psoriatic arthritis, but not as high an efficacy that is displayed by TNF-inhibitors.
6. Apremilast is a PDE4 inhibitor that has efficacy in both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
7. Calcipotriene and calcitriol when used in combination with topical corticosteroids may reduce the risk of cutaneous atrophy.
8. Topical corticosteroids only rarely induce adrenal suppression, even if used on areas of high percutaneous absorption.
9. Psoriatic arthritis is present in 20-30% of psoriasis patients.
10. Concomitant methotrexate reduces the immunogenicity and augments the efficacy of biologic therapies for psoriasis.