Psoriasis is a common disease, which has a considerable impact on the healthcare system. Therefore, appropriate use of therapeutic resources is very important. Management of psoriasis in daily clinical practice is highly variable because many issues are still debated and not definitely addressed by the evidence‐based medicine. Moreover, the different availability and reimbursability of drugs in each country justifies national guidelines. Expert consensus can provide helpful guidelines for optimizing patient care. A total of 20 dermatologists from different areas of Italy and with large experience in the treatment of psoriasis agreed to participate in the guidelines expert panel who aimed to reach consensus on the factors influencing psoriasis severity, the indications for systemic treatments, the parameters to be considered in the choice of treatment, and the factors to be considered in the choice of biological treatment. The recommendations for the use, screening and monitoring of systemic therapies were based on the 2015 S3 European Dermatology Forum/European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology psoriasis guidelines. Recommendations on the treatment of psoriasis in special patient populations were also agreed. The final document was discussed in a meeting moderated by a facilitator with participation of the entire group and adopting a nominal group technique to reach consensus. A statement was regarded as consented when agreement was achieved by at least 75% of the voting experts according to the Delphi procedure.

Background: Real life data often highlight side effects of certain drugs not previously reported in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Objective. To describe cutaneous inflammatory eruptions in psoriatic patients treated with an anti IL-17A agent (secukinumab or ixekizumab). Methods: Retrospective analysis of a cohort of patients with chronic plaque psoriasis who started an anti IL17A agent between September 2016-February 2019 and who developed cutaneous inflammatory eruptions during treatment. A systematic review of similar events reported in the literature was performed. Results: Data of 468 patients were reviewed and 27 cutaneous inflammatory eruptions of 27 (5.8%) patients were collected. The eruptions appeared after a mean of 16.9 ± 17.0 weeks of therapy showing a classical acute eczema in 11 patients (40.7%), an atopic dermatitis-like rash in 11 patients (40.7%) and a psoriasiform eruption in 5 patients (18.5%). Histopathology of 12/27 cases showed epidermal spongiosis in all these variants. Conclusion: We described the clinic-pathologic features of some eczematous eruptions occurring in psoriatic patients, 3-4 months after treatment initiation with an anti IL-17A agent. Further investigations are needed to explain this phenomenon, that might be defined a paradoxical adverse event, based upon the role of IL17 in eczema pathogenesis. Keywords: psoriasis, IL17, secukinumab, ixekizumab, anti IL17, side effects, eczematous reactions

Little information is available from real-life studies evaluating the efficacy of guselkumab in moderate-to-severe psoriasis. In this real-life study, we retrospectively examined a database of 52 patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis treated with guselkumab (100 mg, s.c.) and followed for 1 year. Disease severity and treatment response was assessed by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) at baseline and after 4, 12, 20, 28, 36, 44, and 52 weeks. Predictors of a PASI response were evaluated by univariate and multivariate regression. After 12 months, 84.2% of patients (mean age 51.3 ± 14.1 years) treated with guselkumab achieved a PASI score of <3. Furthermore, PASI score decreased from 20 ± 13.3 at baseline to 4.4 ± 4.7 and 2.7 ± 3.9 at 12 and 20 weeks, and PASI 75, 90, and 100 response was achieved in 84.2%, 78.9%, and 63.2% of patients respectively at 12 months. Stepwise multivariate regression analysis revealed that previous biological treatment and the presence of comorbidities were associated with poorer response between 28–44 weeks, however the presence of obesity per se was not associated with poorer response. Difficult-to-treat areas were also improved as early as 12 weeks following guselkumab. Guselkumab was observed to be effective and safe in patients with moderate-severe chronic psoriasis in a real world-setting.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a dermatological disorder that affects patients’ mental health and psychological state in complex ways. The importance of understanding the entire scope of this burden is well recognized, but there is limited comprehensive information about the resulting stress on adult patients with AD. This study aimed to determine the degree of psychological stress in patients with AD compared to healthy participants. A total of 352 adult patients participated in this cross-sectional study—174 with AD and 178 healthy participants. Demographic and clinical data were collected. Itch and sleep disturbance were assessed using a numeric rating scale and a visual analogue scale. The 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) questionnaires were administered to assess the symptoms of alexithymia and depression. Quality of life (QOL) was assessed in AD patients using the Dermatology Quality Index. In our study, we found high TAS-20 and BDI scores among patients with AD. The prevalence of alexithymic personality features was 56.3% in patients with AD versus 21.3% in healthy controls (p < 0.001). Based on BDI scoring (BDI-21 > 13), depression was suspected in a significantly higher number of patients with AD than in the control group (56.9% (99/174) vs. 15.7% (28/178); p < 0.0001). Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score did not show any significant correlations with psychological parameters. Among clinical parameters, only sleep disturbance was positively correlated with depression (R = 0.307, p < 0.005). Our data show that the severity index score as a representative factor of skin involvement has a limited role in predicting the effect of skin diseases on mental status. Screening and assessment for psychiatric disorders, QOL, and sleep disturbance in patients with atopic dermatitis cannot be neglected by physicians and they should be treated in clinical practice with the consideration of psychosomatic approaches.