Psoriasis y COVID-19

Journal Scan / Research · June 21, 2020

The Impact of COVID-19 on Patients With Chronic Plaque Psoriasis Treated With Biological Therapy

The British Journal of Dermatology

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• In this retrospective observational study from multiple centers in Italy, 5206 patients on biologic therapy for plaque psoriasis were studied to assess the incidence of severe outcomes of COVID-19 in this population. Four patients were hospitalized with COVID-19–related pneumonia, and two others tested positive but did not require inpatient treatment.

• Despite ongoing immune-suppressing therapy and the known association of psoriasis with metabolic and cardiovascular comorbidity, in this study there were no deaths due to COVID-19 and no difference in incidence of hospitalization compared with the general population.

– Caroline K. Crabtree, MD

Written by

 

 

Abby S. Van VoorheesMD

How to best manage patients with psoriasis on a biologic agent has been on every dermatologist's mind during the pandemic, as it is unknown whether these medications put our patients at risk for the COVID-19 infection. It is also uncertain if the various biologic agents expose patients to risk equally or whether the different biologics are associated with varying risks. This retrospective observational study describes the Italian experience with COVID-19 in those taking these medications. The authors note that none of their patients on biologics succumbed to the disease regardless of the biologic agent administered. Whether these medications may have played a protective role is not certain, but it is reassuring to not see either an increase in death rate nor an increased rate of severe respiratory distress requiring ventilation. It should not surprise dermatologists that those that were hospitalized for COVID-19 had a higher frequency of concurrent comorbid diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. These concurrent illnesses may put our patients at most risk of all. Now more than ever, we need to be referring our patients to primary care physicians for management of their comorbid diseases. If we don't do it, then who will?

Abstract 

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has spread across the globe, causing respiratory manifestations of coronavirus disease (COVID)‐19 and satisfying the epidemiological criteria for a pandemic.1 As of 1 April 2020, more than one million cases testing positive for COVID‐19 have been identified and more than 54 000 deaths have occurred worldwide (https://systems.jhu.edu). In Italy, 110 574 positive cases, 49 285 hospitalized patients and 13 155 deaths from a population of 60 359 546 inhabitants were reported.2 The highest number of deaths occurred in the northern Italian regions, i.e. Lombardy, Emilia‐Romagna, Veneto and Piedmont.3

The British Journal of Dermatology

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients With Chronic Plaque Psoriasis Being Treated With Biological Therapy: The Northern Italy Experience

Br J Dermatol 2020 Apr 28;[EPub Ahead of Print], P Gisondi, P Facheris, P Dapavo, S Piaserico, A Conti, L Naldi, S Cazzaniga, P Malagoli, A Costanzo 

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Benjamin Hidalgo-Matlock
Skin Care Physicians of Costa Rica

Clinica Victoria en San Pedro: 4000-1054
Momentum Escazu: 2101-9574

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