Psoriasis: to treat or to manage?
The recognition of psoriasis as a systemic disorder with characteristic skin symptoms and associated diseases has changed treatment concepts substantially. The complexity of psoriasis disease not only requires appropriate therapy but also weight-loss and smoking cessation programmes as well as trigger factor elimination. The term 'management' may better reflect the aim for a holistic approach of disease control. Comorbidity and the presence of psoriatic arthritis are important denominators for drug selection. However, there is a lack of prospective data substantiating a benefit of associated diseases by antipsoriatic therapy. Securing success using treatment goals helps to establish an efficacious therapy and to control inflammation. A regular scoring of disease severity, patients' quality of life and assessment of other clinically relevant conditions are mandatory to closely follow the disease course. There is debate whether an early treatment may modulate the future course of psoriasis. Concepts of minimal disease activity have not been implemented in psoriasis yet. There is a lack of evidence how long any treatment should be given and when and how to terminate. Finally, outcome tools should specifically be tailored for psoriasis to evaluate disease-related items as well as the benefit of management from the patient's perspective.
['Mrowietz|Ulrich|U|', 'Steinz|Kirsten|K|', 'Gerdes|Sascha|S|']
D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic D001688:Biological Products D015897:Comorbidity D006801:Humans D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents D008727:Methotrexate D009765:Obesity D011565:Psoriasis D012307:Risk Factors D016896:Treatment Outcome
psoriasis management treatment comorbidity biologics