The British journal of dermatology
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Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory, immune-mediated skin disease associated with substantial comorbidity. Traditional comorbid conditions include psychological/psychiatric disorders, psoriatic arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. ⋯ For effective management of psoriasis and related comorbidities, an integrated approach targeting both cutaneous and systemic inflammation may be beneficial, and strategies to improve overall management of the patient should be encouraged to reduce the disease burden. This paper discusses the emerging role of biological agents in this approach, and offers an appreciation of the role of existing anti-psoriasis and adjunctive therapies.
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Review Meta Analysis
Safety and efficacy of alefacept, efalizumab, etanercept and infliximab in treating moderate to severe plaque psoriasis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
The relatively recent introduction of biological agents to treat psoriasis presents clinicians with the need to objectively compare and contrast these agents to allow more effective treatment of their patients. ⋯ The decreasing rank order for pooled efficacy was infliximab, etanercept, efalizumab and alefacept when compared with placebo. Pooling safety data revealed a previously unreported increased risk of AEs for alefacept, efalizumab and infliximab.