ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Giornale Italiano di Dermatologia e Venereologia 2007 February;142(1):9-14

Copyright © 2007 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Diffuse psoriasis plaque type and infliximab: our experience and review of literature

Lemme G. ¹, Campanati A. ¹, Paolinelli M. ², Offidani A. ¹

¹ Dermatological Department Marche Polithecnical University, Ancona, Italy 2 Dermatological Service, USL 004, Senigallia, Ancona, Italy

Aim. Tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α is a proinflammatory cytokine playing an important role in psoriatic skin lesions development and maintenance. Infliximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody highly effective for the treatment of TNF-α mediated chronic disease, as Crohn’s colitis and rheumatoid arthritis. Aim of the present paper is to report our experience with infliximab in the treatment of patients suffering from moderate and severe psoriasis.
Methods. Ten patients with moderate to severe psoriasis skin lesions and clinical or subclinical signs of arthritis received infliximab infusion 5 mg/kg at weeks 0, 2, 6. Patients were monitored at weeks 0, 2, 6, 10, 14 (T0, T2, T6, T10, T14) using Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) to evaluate disease activity. Week 10 (T10) was chosen as the endpoint of treatment phase, and week 14 (T14) as the follow-up endpoint.
Results. All patients responded to the treatment, 70% of the patients reached PASI 75 at T10 and 40% maintained PASI 75 at T14; mean PASI score decreased from baseline (T0: 29.38±10.6) to the endpoint treatment level (T10: 5.85±2.43) and the difference was statistically significance (P<0.001). The mean PASI was slightly increased at the end of follow-up period (T14: 8.5±3.2), but the score was significant lower than baseline.
Conclusion. Our data seem to confirm that infliximab infusion produces a rapid and effective control of psoriatic disease in patients suffering from moderate to severe psoriasis.