Treatment of patients hospitalized for psoriasis

An analysis of psoriasis hospitalisation in Thailand

Psoriasis hospitalisation is not frequently reported. The objective of this study was to determine (1) the clinical, laboratory and treatment features of patients with psoriasis hospitalised due to flare-up and (2) other causes of admission of patients with psoriasis. We retrospectively reviewed data on 48 patients admitted due to psoriasis flare-up and 1908 patients with psoriasis admitted due to concomitant illnesses or comorbidities. The study period was 2005-2021. The latter group was compared with 821,804 patients without psoriasis admitted during the period. Of the 48 cases, 37.5% had erythroderma, and 62.5% had generalised pustular psoriasis (GPP). Women (68.8%) predominated, especially in the GPP group (76.7%). The mean age of admission with erythroderma (44.8 years) was higher than for GPP (32.1 years). Infection was the main trigger for psoriasis flare-up (46%). Abnormalities in liver function tests were found in 33.3% of the cases. These abnormalities usually subsided 1-2 months after skin improvement (83.4%). Acitretin was the most prescribed drug for GPP (81.4%), whereas topical treatment alone (50%) was the most frequent erythroderma therapy. Intensive care was needed by 9.3% of patients with GPP. In the psoriasis group admitted due to concomitant illnesses or comorbidities, admission due to digestive and infectious causes was significantly higher for psoriasis patients. Our study showed that trend of psoriasis admission due to disease flare-up was not significantly changed even in the era of biologics. We believed that patient education on avoiding the common precipitating factors of psoriasis flare-up and good self-care is mandatory to reduce the risk of hospitalisation.

Topical preparations for the treatment of psoriasis: results of a retrospective study over 15 years

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis requires lifelong treatments that depend on the extent, clinical forms and associated conditions.

OBJECTIVE

To retrospectively analyze which topical treatments were used, their efficacy, and potential advantages and disadvantages.

METHODS

A total of 666 patients admitted for the first time over 15 years who were topically treated were retrospectively reviewed and subdivided using clinical forms and PASI into four groups and four subgroups for the applied treatments. For each treatment the mean PASI was calculated daily: on the first, third and sixth day. An X sample statistical analysis and Mann--Whitney U-test were performed. The hospitalization time and correlation with the response to treatment were analyzed.

RESULTS

A statistically significant response was recorded for every regimen. The best combination was clobetasol propionate plus eosin on alternate days with eosin plus cade oil. The highest score was recorded for the 'en plaques' psoriasis. The average length of treatment was of 7.5 days in the best combination. No statistically significant difference among the groups was recorded with respect to the length of hospitalization and PASI.

CONCLUSION

The statistically significant response for all the topical treatments analyzed and recorded in this study does not exclude a potential benefit due to hospitalization per se.

Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk of mortality compared with the general population. Evidence suggests that this increased mortality can largely be attributed to increased cardiovascular (CV) death. In a retrospective study of an inception cohort of RA patients in Rochester, MN, we found that patients with RA were at increased risk of CV death, ischemic heart disease, and heart failure compared with age- and sex-matched community controls. In addition, when we examined coronary artery tissue from autopsied RA patients, we observed increased evidence of inflammation and an increased proportion of unstable plaques. We also investigated the contribution of traditional and RA-specific risk factors to this increased risk of CV morbidity and mortality. Although traditional CV disease risk factors were found to contribute to the increased risk of mortality in RA patients, they did not fully explain the increased CV mortality observed in RA. Instead, increased inflammation associated with RA appears to contribute substantially to the increased CV mortality. Together with other studies that have demonstrated similar associations between RA and CV mortality, these data suggest that more aggressive management of inflammation in RA may lead to significant improvements in outcomes for patients with RA.

Erythrodermic, recalcitrant psoriasis: clinical resolution with infliximab

This report describes the case of a patient with erythrodermic psoriasis who had failed all previous therapies and been hospitalized numerous times over a 12-year period that responded dramatically to treatment with infliximab. The potential utility of infliximab as a therapeutic alternative for erythrodermic psoriasis is discussed.