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The Goeckerman Regimen for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Psoriasis
Published on: July 11, 2013
Systemic Treatment of Moderate to Severe Psoriasis in Pediatric Patients in Galicia, Spain: A Descriptive Study
A Batalla1, R Fernández-Torres2, L Rodríguez-Pazos3
1Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Pontevedra, Pontevedra, España.
Insights
Systemic treatments for pediatric psoriasis, including phototherapy and methotrexate, are effective and well-tolerated. Most young patients showed good response rates, with minimal adverse effects and no treatment discontinuations.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Pediatric Medicine
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Limited research exists on systemic therapies for pediatric psoriasis.
- Psoriasis in children requires effective and safe treatment options.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document systemic treatments for moderate to severe psoriasis in pediatric patients.
- To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of these treatments in children.
Main Methods:
- A multicenter, cross-sectional study of pediatric patients (<18 years) with moderate to severe psoriasis.
- Data collection included demographics, treatments (systemic drugs, phototherapy), tolerance, adverse effects, and response.
Main Results:
- Phototherapy and methotrexate were the most common treatments.
- Good response rates were observed: 66% at 12 weeks (including phototherapy) and 36% at 24 weeks (systemic treatment only).
- Treatments were well-tolerated, with a 97% tolerance rate and only 11% reporting adverse effects.
Conclusions:
- Phototherapy and methotrexate are key treatments for pediatric psoriasis.
- These therapies demonstrate a favorable safety profile and good efficacy in young patients.
- Systemic treatments offer a viable option for managing moderate to severe psoriasis in children.
Background And Objective:
Studies on the use of systemic therapy for psoriasis in pediatric patients are scarce. The main aim of this study was to describe the systemic treatments used for moderate to severe psoriasis in pediatric clinical settings. The second aim was to describe the effectiveness and safety of these treatments.
Material And Methods:
Descriptive, cross-sectional, multicenter study of patients under 18 years of age with moderate to severe psoriasis who were being treated or had been treated with a systemic drug (conventional or biologic) or phototherapy. We recorded demographic and clinical information, treatments received, tolerance, adverse effects, and response to treatment.
Results:
Data were collected for 40 patients (60% female; mean age, 13 years) who had received 63 treatments in total. The most common first treatment (n=40) was phototherapy (administered to 68% of patients), followed by acitretin (15%). The most common treatments overall (n=63) were phototherapy (57%) and methotrexate (16%). At week 12 (evaluation of systemic treatment and phototherapy), 66% of the patients were classified as good responders and 22% as partial responders. The respective rates for week 24 (evaluation of systemic treatment only) were 36% and 32%. The treatments were well tolerated (97%) and adverse effects were reported in just 11% of cases. There were no treatment discontinuations because of adverse effects.
Conclusions:
Phototherapy, followed by methotrexate, was the most common treatment for moderate to severe psoriasis in this series of patients under 18 years. The treatments showed a favorable safety profile and were associated with a good response rate of 66% at week 12 (systemic treatment and phototherapy) and 36% at week 24 (systemic treatment only).
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