Reasons for Visits to the Dermatologist Stratified by Race.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine, from the patient's perspective, the most common reasons for seeking medical attention for skin disease and how this varies among different races. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis on the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey between 2007 and 2018, the most recent years available. The frequency of each reason for visits was determined using the survey procedures of SAS version 9.4. RESULTS: Among White patients, skin cancer screening (8.2%) was the most common reason for visits followed by skin lesions (7.8%) and discoloration/abnormal pigmentation (7.4%). Among Blacks/African Americans, acne (9.2%), progress visit (8.2%), and skin rash (7.0%) were the top reasons for visits. Acne (12%), skin rash (7.5%), and discoloration/abnormal pigmentation (7.3%) were the most common reasons for patient visits in the "other" race category. CONCLUSIONS: Reasons for visits to the dermatologist vary with race. White patients appear to be aware of their increased risk of skin cancer, visiting frequently for skin cancer screenings and skin lesions, whereas Blacks/African Americans are more affected by conditions associated with chronic pruritus. To train dermatologists and nondermatologists to provide equitable care for cutaneous conditions to all races and skin types, especially for those groups experiencing barriers to receiving dermatologic care, it is important that we characterize the reasons why patients visit the dermatologist.

National Psoriasis Foundation COVID-19 Task Force Guidance for Management of Psoriatic Disease During the Pandemic: Version 1.

OBJECTIVE: To provide guidance about management of psoriatic disease during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. STUDY DESIGN: A task force (TF) of 18 physician voting members with expertise in dermatology, rheumatology, epidemiology, infectious diseases, and critical care was convened. The TF was supplemented by nonvoting members, which included fellows and National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) staff. Clinical questions relevant to the psoriatic disease community were informed by questions received by the NPF. A Delphi process was conducted. RESULTS: The TF approved 22 guidance statements. The average of the votes was within the category of agreement for all statements. All guidance statements proposed were recommended, 9 with high consensus and 13 with moderate consensus. LIMITATIONS: The evidence behind many guidance statements is limited in quality. CONCLUSION: These statements provide guidance for the management of patients with psoriatic disease on topics ranging from how the disease and its treatments impact COVID-19 risk and outcome, how medical care can be optimized during the pandemic, what patients should do to lower their risk of getting infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and what they should do if they develop COVID-19. The guidance is intended to be a living document that will be updated by the TF as data emerge.

Review of home phototherapy.

BACKGROUND: Outpatient phototherapy is a safe, effective, and low-cost treatment modality for moderate to severe psoriasis. Barriers to outpatient phototherapy including patient inconvenience, patient co-pays, decreased physician compensation, and insurance disincentive structures have led to decreased use and underutilization of phototherapy. Home phototherapy can potentially overcome many of the barriers associated with outpatient treatment but is not widely used because of concerns over safety and efficacy, lack of resident and physician education, and lack of insurance coverage. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to review the use of phototherapy with emphasis on the safety, efficacy, and practical use of home phototherapy. METHODS: A comprehensive Pubmed literature search was done using the keywords NB-UVB, narrowband UVB, BB-UVB, broadband UVB, PUVA, psoralen and UVA, UVA, history of phototherapy, mechanism of phototherapy, phototherapy in dermatology, home phototherapy, and phototherapy for psoriasis. All relevant articles were reviewed. CONCLUSIONS: Home NB-UVB phototherapy can be as safe, effective, and cost-effective as outpatient phototherapy. Further, home UVB is more convenient for patients, has higher patient satisfaction, and a lower treatment burden compared to outpatient phototherapy. Home NB-UVB should be considered as a treatment option for patients eligible for phototherapy.

Validation and reliability of 2 specialty care satisfaction scales.

DrScore.com an online patient satisfaction survey, uses 2 patient satisfaction scales, namely, satisfaction with physician care and satisfaction with office policy and procedures, including accessibility to care, convenience of office and practice location, and staff friendliness. This study assesses the validity and reliability of the scales. The sample includes 11,212 specialty care visits, comprised of 64% women, 82% established patients, and 24% routine visits. A confirmatory factor analysis is used to test factor structure. Convergent validity also is examined. The goodness-of-fit index is 0.99, and standardized factor loadings are uniformly high, exceeding 0.90 for all but 2 items. Cronbach alpha is 0.99 for the physician scale and 0.94 for the office scale. Both scales discriminate other satisfaction indicators. Correlation between scales is high at 0.90. Both scales possess excellent psychometric properties but are not clearly differentiated. Results agree with the unidimensional view of patient satisfaction and confirm that online surveys can be reliable and valid.

The safety of treatments used in pyoderma gangrenosum.

INTRODUCTION: Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a severe ulcerating orphan dermatosis characterized by painful and rapidly progressive skin ulcers often associated with underlying inflammatory disease. AREAS COVERED: In this article, we review and analyze the literature regarding treatment options for patients with PG, with particular attention to the efficacy and safety of therapies. Despite the significance of this problem, there are few studies devoted to the efficacy or safety of therapeutics in PG. We aim to present and evaluate existing studies and reports, and to make treatment recommendations based on the efficacy and safety data reviewed. EXPERT OPINION: All patients with PG should be counseled on avoiding trauma, optimizing glycemic control, and smoking cessation. Proper local wound care and surveillance of superimposed infection is essential to healing. Control of underlying inflammatory conditions should be co-managed with appropriate specialists. Patients with limited disease should consider high potency topical steroid or topical calcineurin inhibitors. For systemic therapy, the best evidence supports the use of systemic steroids or cyclosporine. Biologic therapy should be reserved in patients as a third line therapy or in patients with underlying systemic inflammatory disease. There is an existing need for well-designed studies to evaluate the efficacy and safety of therapeutics in PG.

Dermatologist-diagnosed skin diseases among immigrant Latino poultry processors and other manual workers in North Carolina, USA.

BACKGROUND: Immigrant Latino workers represent an expanding workforce in rural areas of the USA, where their employment is concentrated in occupations such as poultry processing that entail chemical, infectious, and mechanical skin exposures. Occupation-related skin illnesses in this vulnerable population are not well characterized. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to describe the prevalences of skin diseases among immigrant Latino poultry processors and other manual workers in North Carolina. METHODS: Community-based sampling was used to recruit 742 immigrant Latino workers, 518 of whom underwent a physical examination supervised by a board-certified dermatologist. The presence or absence of skin disease on the face, neck, arms, hands, and feet was recorded. RESULTS: Workers ranged in age from 18 years to 68 years. Slightly over half of the sample were male (52.6%). Poultry workers represented 55.8% of the study sample. Infectious skin diseases were the most common diagnosis, present in 52.3% of workers. Inflammatory skin diseases were present in 28.2% and pigmentary disorders in 21.8% of workers. The most common skin conditions were tinea pedis (37.6%), onychomycosis (31.9%), scars (13.7%), acne (11.8%), and melasma (9.3%). Age, sex, first language, and work as a poultry processor accounted in part for the prevalence of these diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Several skin diseases are highly prevalent in immigrant Latino workers and may relate to work environment. These may impair the quality of life of these workers and predispose them to further illness.

Economic evaluation of biologic therapies for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis in the United States.

BACKGROUND: New biologic therapies are available for moderate to severe psoriasis. OBJECTIVE: To determine the most cost-effective sequence of biologic treatments. METHODS: Through modeling of the clinical pathway of biologic agents, adalimumab, alefacept, efalizumab, etanercept, and infliximab, the costs and benefits (quality-adjusted life-years [QALYs]) were determined. A decision rule determined the optimal treatment sequence comparing costs and QALYs. RESULTS: While infliximab was found to provide the most incremental QALY and etanercept was found to be the least costly, on balance, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of adalimumab was the most favorable (ICER = $544/QALY). Consequently, the optimal sequence would begin with adalimumab and be followed by etanercept, infliximab, efalizumab, and alefacept, respectively. The limitations of this study are that evidence was based on indirect comparisons of biologic effectiveness, and toxicities were not included in the model. CONCLUSIONS: In consideration of cost-effectiveness in prescribing biologics for moderate to severe psoriasis, the optimal sequence would begin with adalimumab.

Utilization pattern of etanercept and its cost implications in moderate to severe psoriasis in a managed care population.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the utilization patterns, particularly dosage-escalation patterns, and economic implications of etanercept in the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis in a real-world setting. METHODS: Patients with psoriasis receiving etanercept were identified from the Integrated Health Care Information Services database and were observed for 12 months or until etanercept discontinuation (defined as gap of >60 days between prescriptions). Patients were excluded if they had other autoimmune conditions or received TNF antagonists within 6 months of the index date. Ratios of patients with dosage increase to total sample were calculated. Among patients continuing treatment for 1 year, etanercept dosage and drug costs (measured by average wholesale price) were compared for patients with and without dosage increase using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. RESULTS: 55.2% of patients discontinued during the study year; 51.6% of patients initiated at 100 mg/week; and 34.8% who initiated at 50 mg/week required dosage increases. Among patients continuously treated for 1 year, dosage increase resulted in incremental annual drug costs of $8,440 and $9,313 for 100 and 50 mg/week, respectively (both p < 0.0001). The annual dosage of etanercept in excess of the labeled amount translated into $2,040 and $3,032 greater etanercept costs per patient in the 100 and 50 mg/week groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: In this analysis, 33-50% of patients with psoriasis required dosage increases during their first year of etanercept therapy, resulting in increased annual treatment costs as compared with expected costs imputed from label indications. Because of patient selection criteria, the findings may not be representative of the entire population of patients with psoriasis.