Refractory erythrodermic psoriasis in a child with an excellent outcome by using etanercept

Psoriasis affects 0.12% to 0.71% of all children. Erythrodermic psoriasis is an uncommon but serious disorder, occurring in less than 1.5% of cases. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha blockers (TNF-α) are a new class of drugs used to treat moderate to severe psoriasis refractory to conventional therapies. Etanercept is a TNFα receptor fusion protein, approved by the FDA for treating juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. We present the case of a 7-year-old suffering from plaque psoriasis since 8 months old which evolved into erythroderma refractory to cyclosporine and methotrexate. Patient responded excellently to etanercept, with no adverse side effects.