Treatment of psoriasis

Article Abstract:

Psoriasis may exist in various forms, the most common of which is chronic plaque psoriasis. Psoriasis may first occur during two times of life: adolescence and young adulthood, around 16 to 22 years of age, and in later life, around age 57 to 60. It is characterized by the presence of scaly plaques which consist of a thickened, horny layer of skin. Plaques are caused by a T-lymphocyte-mediated immune response in the skin to unknown stimuli. There is no known cure for psoriasis, but certain treatments may alleviate the symptoms and control the extent of the disease. Initial treatment usually consists of topical agents such as emollients, salicylic acid ointment, coal tar, anthralin, topical corticosteroids, and calcipotriene. Phototherapy or systemic drug therapy may be used for patients with physically, socially, or economically disabling psoriasis that has not been helped by topical treatment. Methotrexate, etretinate, systemic corticosteroids, and cyclosporine are systemic agents used to treat severe psoriasis. The benefits of treatment may need to be weighed against adverse side effects.

Usage, Cyclosporine, Cyclosporins, Methotrexate, Dermatologic agents, Phototherapy, Etretinate

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A 56-year-old man with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia and cutaneous and oral vesicles

Article Abstract:

A 56-year-old man was diagnosed with paraneoplastic pemphigus and malignant lymphoma. Paraneoplastic pemphigus is an autoimmune disease that may occur in patients with an underlying cancer. The patient was admitted to the hospital with lesions on his trunk and groin, and oral ulcers. He had been suffering from Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia and low-grade lymphoma for two years. He had had lesions around his anus three months earlier, and was diagnosed with a herpes simplex infection. He developed a herpes zoster infection four weeks before being admitted. The lesions spread to other parts of his body, and his lungs appeared abnormal in a chest X-ray. A skin biopsy and laboratory tests revealed that the patient had paraneoplastic pemphigus. The patient was treated with a combination of drugs, but died several weeks later from respiratory failure.

Case studies, Paraneoplastic syndromes, Pemphigus, Macroglobulinemia, Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia

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New treatments for psoriasis

Article Abstract:

Researchers are developing drugs for psoriasis that target abnormal T cell activity. This is important because all of the treatments for this inflammatory skin disease have side effects and are not always effective in treating severe disease.

Editorial

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