Background
The multi-morbid burden and use of systemic immunosuppressants in people with psoriasis may confer greater risk of adverse COVID-19 outcomes but data are limited.
Objective
Characterize the course of COVID-19 in psoriasis and identify factors associated with hospitalization.
Methods
Clinicians reported psoriasis patients with confirmed/suspected COVID-19 via an international registry, PsoProtect. Multiple logistic regression assessed the association between clinical/demographic characteristics and hospitalization. A separate patient-facing registry characterized risk-mitigating behaviours.
Results
Of 374 clinician-reported patients from 25 countries, 71% were receiving a biologic, 18% a non-biologic and 10% no systemic treatment for psoriasis. 348 (93%) fully recovered from COVID-19, 77 (21%) were hospitalized and nine (2%) died. Increased hospitalization risk was associated with older age (multivariable-adjusted OR 1.59 per 10 years, 95% CI 1.19-2.13), male sex (OR 2.51, 95% CI 1.23-5.12), non-white ethnicity (OR 3.15, 95% CI 1.24-8.03) and comorbid chronic lung disease (OR 3.87, 95% CI 1.52-9.83). Hospitalization was more frequent in patients using non-biologic systemic therapy than biologics (OR 2.84, 95% CI 1.31-6.18). No significant differences were found between biologic classes. Independent patient-reported data (n=1,626 across 48 countries) suggested lower levels of social isolation in individuals receiving non-biologic systemic therapy compared to biologics (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.50-0.94).
Conclusion
In this international moderate-severe psoriasis case series, biologics use was associated with lower risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization than non-biologic systemic therapies, however further investigation is warranted due to potential selection bias and unmeasured confounding. Established risk factors (being older, male, non-white ethnicity, comorbidities) were associated with higher hospitalization rates.
Clinical Implications
We identify risk factors for COVID-19-related hospitalization in psoriasis patients, including older age, male sex, non-white ethnicity and comorbidities. Use of biologics was associated with lower hospitalization risk than non-biologic systemic therapies.
While only 10 cases of CSR is a small number, MCC is itself a rare malignancy with just over 600 reported cases. Today most cases of MCC receive aggressive combined therapy effectively precluding diagnosis of CSR. The nature of regression in these 10 cases may point toward future immunologic therapy just as similar cases of CRS in patients with melanoma have led to advances in the immunologic treatment for that malignancy.
We report a 65-year-old man who presented with a Merkel cell carcinoma on his right ear, a small satellite nodule and regional lymph node metastases. No treatment was given because of his generally poor state of health. Spontaneous regression of all the lesions was observed within a month. Merkel cell carcinoma is a potentially aggressive tumour. Only four cases of spontaneous regression have been reported previously.
The objective of the study was to evaluate efficacy and safety of ixekizumab in psoriasis patients under clinical practice conditions. Observational, retrospective, multicentre study that included patients with ixekizumab from March 2017 to March 2019. ≥ 90% reduction in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 90) and absolute PASI <2 were the parameters used to assess treatment response. Adverse events (AEs) were collected. Of the 301 patients included, 111 were women (36.9%), mean age was 48.5 (±13.5) years. Mean baseline PASI score was 13.5 (±7.7). More than half of the patients (68.5%) had received at least one biological drug before. At 3 months, 208 (76.5%) patients achieved PASI <2 and 156 (57.3%) PASI 90. At 12 months, 130 (73.4%) patients achieved absolute PASI <2 and 104 (58.7%) PASI 90. Multivariate analysis revealed that prior use of biologics was influential in achieving PASI <2 at both 3 and 12 months (OR 2.82, P = .006; OR 9.51, P < .001, respectively). Sixty-five patients (21.59%) exhibited at least one AE, injection site reaction was the most
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