Treating patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis vulgaris

Psoriasis vulgaris is a common inflammatory disease of adults and children. Affected patients often are incorrectly diagnosed, undertreated, or not treated at all. The relapsing course of psoriasis negatively affects a patient's quality of life. The condition is associated with social isolation, anxiety, and depression, and can harm personal relationships and employment status. Psoriasis may have a significant psychologic and socioeconomic effect throughout a patient's life. Skin involvement is the most prominent symptom of this disease; however, understanding that psoriasis is a chronic, multisystem inflammatory disease is essential to proper treatment. Patients with mild-to-moderate psoriasis can control their disease primarily with topical medications or phototherapy. However, when used as monotherapy or combined with phototherapy, topical medication can be inadequate to treat moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Biologic agents offer treatment options with many benefits for controlling psoriasis vulgaris, whether given as monotherapy or combined with topical or systemic medications.