Risk of peripheral neuropathy in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. A prospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION/AIMS: Laboratory and clinical data suggest a link between neurologically mediated inflammation and psoriasis, but the risk and features of peripheral neuropathy in psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis remain unknown. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the risk and to describe the features of peripheral neuropathy in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. METHODS: One hundred patients with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis and 100 control subjects were consecutively enrolled. Diagnostic confirmation included electrophysiological examination, skin biopsy, and nerve ultrasound for confirmed polyneuropathy. RESULTS: Nine patients were diagnosed with confirmed polyneuropathy, while none of the control subjects had the condition (relative risk [RR] = 19.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.12-322.11). Specific relative risks for polyneuropathy were 22.09 (95% CI = 1.17-416.43) in psoriasis patients and 18.75 (95% CI = 1.07-327.62) in psoriatic arthritis patients. The observed polyneuropathy in all nine patients was length-dependent, symmetrical, and predominantly sensory, with minimal or no disability. Comorbidities and exposure to therapies known to increase the risk of polyneuropathy were more frequent in psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis patients compared to controls (42% vs. 4%, p = .0001). Analyzing data after excluding possible contributory causes, the risk of polyneuropathy in patients with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis was not significant. DISCUSSION: Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis appear to be associated with an increased risk of polyneuropathy. This increased risk seems to be linked to the higher prevalence of contributing factors for polyneuropathy, rather than a direct increase in neuropathy risk specifically related to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Real-life effectiveness of tildrakizumab in chronic plaque psoriasis: A 52-week multicentre retrospective study-IL PSO (Italian landscape psoriasis).

BACKGROUND: Tildrakizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds selectively the p19 subunit of interleukin-23. It is approved for treatment of moderate-severe chronic plaque psoriasis. OBJECTIVES: We conducted a 52-week retrospective study to assess the effectiveness and safety of tildrakizumab in a real-life setting. METHODS: Our retrospective study included 237 consecutive adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, enrolled in 10 different Italian centres, treated with tildrakizumab up to Week 52. Patient characteristics, comorbidities, previous treatments and the PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) score at each visit (baseline, Week 16, Week 28 and Week 52) were retrieved from the electronic medical records. The percentages of patients achieving 75%, 90% and 100% (PASI 75, PASI 90 and PASI 100) improvement in PASI with respect to baseline PASI were registered. RESULTS: At Week 52, 90.91%, 73.55% and 58.68% of patients achieved a PASI reduction ≥75% (PASI 75), PASI 90 and PASI 100, respectively. An absolute PASI ≤ 2 was reached by 85.95% at Week 52. Compared with Phase 3 clinical trials, we observed similar rates of PASI 75/90 responses and higher percentages of patients achieving PASI 100. Patients who had not responded to previous biologic treatments and patients with cardio-metabolic comorbidities were significantly more likely to achieve PASI 100 at Week 28 and PASI 90 at Week 52. The higher body mass index did not interfere with the odds of reaching PASI 75/90/100 at each time point. No significant safety findings were recorded throughout the study, and none of the patients had to interrupt the treatment because of adverse events. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the efficacy of tildrakizumab for plaque psoriasis in 'real-life' clinical practice is comparable with Phase 3 clinical trials with higher percentages of patients achieving complete skin clearance (PASI 100) at Weeks 16, 28 and 52.

Real-life efficacy of guselkumab in patients with early psoriatic arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy of the novel anti-IL-23 monoclonal antibody guselkumab in a real-life observational cohort of patients with early PsA. METHODS: We conducted an observational study on patients with early PsA followed by the joint dermatology-rheumatology clinics of two Italian centres starting therapy with guselkumab for severe skin involvement. Each patient was evaluated at baseline and every 24 weeks for one year, recording Disease Activity Index for PsA (DAPSA), PASI, VAS Pain, VAS Prutitus, Patient's Global Assessment (PtGA) and assessing DAPSA response. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients were recruited (16 women). The mean duration of skin disease was 12.5 years (CI 8; 17), but all patients had a shorter articular disease duration, 21.29 months (CI 15.9; 26.68). At baseline, all patients displayed a moderate cutaneous disease with a mean PASI of 15.2 (CI 11.7-18.6) and high disease activity, characterized by mean DAPSA of 26.84 (CI 22.49-31.19). An inflammatory low back pain was reported by five patients (20%) with a mean BASDAI 5.1 (CI 4,38-5,85) at baseline. The majority of guselkumab-treated patients (n = 18; 75%) reached DAPSA remission or DAPSA low disease activity after six months. Seventeen out of 24 patients completed 12 months of treatment, 11 of them (65%) in low disease activity, six (35%) in remission. All patients with axial disease reported improvement of inflammatory low back pain at week 24 with a mean BASDAI 2.98 (CI 2,18- 3,77). No significant side effects were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Real-life data on a cohort of early PsA patients confirm the efficacy and safety of guselkumab on peripheral and axial manifestations.

Anti-IL17 and anti-IL23 biologic drugs for scalp psoriasis: A single-center retrospective comparative study.

Scalp is a frequent localization of psoriasis that has a massive impact on patient's quality of life. Managing this psoriasis' manifestation is often challenging, thus biologic drugs are widely used as a treatment option in refractory scalp psoriasis. The aim of our study is to retrospectively compare the efficacy of anti-interleukin (IL) 23 drugs (guselkumab, tildrakizumab, risankizumab) and anti-IL17 or anti-IL17RA biologics (secukinumab, ixekizumab, and brodalumab) in real-life patients affected by scalp psoriasis. One hundred twenty-seven patients with a clinical diagnosis of scalp psoriasis and a baseline scalp Physician Global Assessment ≥3 were enrolled; 65 patients were treated with anti-IL23 and anti-IL62 with anti-IL17 or anti-IL17RA. Statistical analysis trough χ2 test was performed in order to evaluate the percentage of response among the two groups of patients. Responders' percentage of patients under anti-IL23 was 41.5%, 75.4%, 88.1%, 87.5%, 93.7%, and 100% at Week 4, 16, 48, 96, and 144, respectively. In the group on anti-IL17 was 62.9%, 90.3%, 91.2%, 97.3%, 96.9%, and 95.2% at Week 4, 16, 48, 96, and 144, respectively. Both anti-IL17 and anti-IL23 appeared to be effective on scalp psoriasis; in particular patients treated with anti-IL17 drugs reached a faster significant reduction of the lesions; on the other hand, anti-IL23 monoclonal antibodies were slightly superior in maintaining the clinical improvement through the follow-up.

Apremilast for the treatment of palmo-plantar non-pustular psoriasis: A real-life single-center retrospective study.

Palmoplantar psoriasis (PP) is a type of psoriasis that involves the skin of the palms and soles and can present as hyperkeratotic, similar to the vulgaris psoriasis of the body. Apremilast, as an oral inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4), is currently approved for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis and for moderate-to-severe psoriasis in adult patients who have not responded or have contraindications or do not tolerate other systemic treatments. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of apremilast in the treatment of non-pustular palmo-plantar psoriasis in a cohort of 12 patients. We found a clinical response of clear/almost clear palmoplantar psoriasis (PPPGA score 0/1) in 83.33% of our patients, at week 16. No significant safety issues were reported and none of our patients had to discontinue the drug.

Real-life Effectiveness and Safety of Risankizumab in Moderate-to-severe Plaque Psoriasis: A 40-week Multicentric Retrospective Study.

Risankizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds the p19 subunit of interleukin-23. It is approved for treatment of moderate-severe chronic plaque psoriasis. This retrospective study included 66 consecutive adults with moderate-to-severe psoriasis vulgaris treated with risankizumab in monotherapy up to week 40 in a "real-life" setting. At week 40, 98.7%, 85.7% and 62.3% of patients achieved a Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) reduction ≥ 75% (PASI 75), PASI 90 and PASI 100, respectively. Patients who had not responded to 2 or more previous biologic treatments were significantly less likely to achieve PASI 75/90 at week 16 and PASI 90/100 at week 40 compared with those who had been previously treated with only 1 biologic, and compared with those treated with risankizumab as a first-line biologic. Increasing body mass index decreased the chances of reaching PASI 90 at week 40. No significant safety findings were recorded throughout the study, and none of the patients had to interrupt the treatment. These data suggest that the efficacy of risankizumab for plaque psoriasis in "real-life" clinical practice could differ from pivotal clinical trials data.

Specific infiltrate of Hodgkin lymphoma at site of cellulitis mimicking secondary cutaneous involvement.

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) usually involves the lymph nodes, but concomitant cutaneous manifestations can also occur. The diagnosis of cutaneous involvement by HL must be supported by specific clinical and histopathological findings. We describe the case of a 56-year-old man recently diagnosed with HL of the left axillary nodes who developed cellulitis of the left trunk. Histopathological examination of a skin biopsy specimen revealed the presence of large atypical lymphoid cells with the same immunophenotype of those located in the lymph node affected by HL. Our case adds to the many cutaneous infiltrations by neoplastic cells during the course of an inflammatory skin disease, namely cellulitis.

Brodalumab: A new way to inhibit IL-17 in psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects 2% to 4% of the population; about 20% of the patients present a moderate-to-severe form. The IL-23/Th17/IL-17 molecular axis is considered crucial in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and IL-17 is fundamental in the maintenance of the immune and inflammatory alterations causing psoriasis. Expression of IL-17A, IL-17F, and IL-17C is strongly increased in psoriatic plaques. Effective therapy leads to restoration of the expression of a wide range of genes (including effector cytokines and chemokines downstream of IL-17) to near normal levels. Brodalumab is the first biologic drug targeting specifically the subunit A of the IL-17 receptor (IL-17RA) and thus inhibiting not only IL-17A but also other members of the IL-17 family. Brodalumab is very effective and safe in treating moderate-to severe psoriasis.

Disease Severity Is Associated with Alexithymia in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that is associated with higher rates of psychological disorders, but limited evidence supported the association with alexithymia, a psychoaffective dysfunction. OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to investigate the occurrence of alexithymia in AD patients, compared to healthy subjects. METHODS: This cross-sectional study assessed AD severity by the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score, sleeplessness and itch by a numeric rating scale (NRS), and alexithymia by the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) score. The association between disease characteristics and alexithymia was evaluated through several logistic regression models. RESULTS: 202 AD patients and 240 healthy subjects were included in this study. The alexithymic personality trait (TAS-20 ≥51) was more frequently observed among AD patients compared to the control group (62.4% [126/202] vs. 29.2% [70/240], p < 0.0001). In particular, alexithymia (TAS-20 score ≥61) was detected in a significantly higher number of AD patients than in the controls (27.7% [56/202] vs. 7.5% [18/240]; p < 0.0001), whereas borderline alexithymia was detected in 34.6% (70/202) of AD patients compared to 21.7% of healthy controls. Alexithymia was more common among severe AD patients (43.6%) compared to mild AD patients (15.6%) and correlated with itch intensity and sleep disturbances. Among clinical variables, ordered logistic regression analyses revealed disease severity as predictor of alexithymia. Indeed, univariate analysis showed EASI score, sleep NRS, and itch NRS being significantly associated with alexithymia, while a multivariate model identified increased EASI score values as predicting factor. CONCLUSION: This study described alexithymia in AD patients correlating its occurrence with clinical AD severity markers (EASI score, itch, and sleeplessness) and identifying the increase in EASI score as predicting factor.

Combination of intravenous immunoglobulin, oral prednisone, and methotrexate for managing scleromyxedema: case report and literature discussion.

The generalized and sclerodermic form of lichen myxedematosus, known as scleromyxedema (SMX), is a chronic mucinosis that manifests cutaneously and has multiple systemic comorbidities. There are few available treatment options and no established therapeutic guidelines. We describe a 48-year-old man who had intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg), oral corticosteroids, and methotrexate (MTX) for the treatment of SMX, monoclonal gammopathy, and arthritis. Because of its effectiveness and high level of tolerance, IVIg is the most often used first-line therapy for SMX and has been used for an increasing range of skin conditions. In our instance, better control of skin disease and extracutaneous manifestations was made possible by combining IVIg with oral prednisone and MTX. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first instance of SMX treatment that has combined therapeutic approaches with a favorable safety profile.