Vulval Crohn's disease [VCD] is a challenging condition that can occur without gastrointestinal Crohn's disease [GCD]. We reviewed the clinical features and effects of therapy in a cohort of 22 patients with VCD to determine whether the presence of GCD affected the clinical presentation and treatment response. Of these, 64% had GCD and 65% of these presented with GCD prior to VCD. Fissuring, ulceration, and scarring were more common in those with VCD alone. Potent and ultra-potent topical steroids showed benefit in most patients. There was no clear evidence of sustained remission with metronidazole. Azathioprine was the most commonly used oral immunosuppressive agent, with an efficacy of 57%. Patients with both VCD and GCD had a better clinical response compared with those with VCD alone [70% and 25%, respectively]. Infliximab and adalimumab were effective in 56% and 71% of patients, respectively. Excision of redundant tissue was helpful in four patients. The absence of GCD may delay the diagnosis in women who present with vulval symptoms alone. The more active clinical features in those with VCD alone may represent a more aggressive condition, or the severity of the cutaneous disease may have been reduced by immunosuppression taken for GCD. Several patients obtained sustained remission in their GCD with anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha [anti-TNFα] agents while the VCD remained active.
Background
Clinical trials study treatment outcomes under stringent conditions, capturing incompletely the heterogeneity of patient populations and treatment complexities encountered in real‐world practice.
Objectives
To compare the effectiveness of anti‐interleukin (IL)‐17A biologics relative to other approved biologics in patients with moderate‐to‐severe psoriasis.
Methods
The Psoriasis Study of Health Outcomes (PSoHO) is an ongoing 3‐year observational cohort study in adults with chronic moderate‐to‐severe plaque psoriasis initiating or switching to a new biologic. Primary study endpoint is the proportion of patients achieving 90% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 90) and/or static Physician Global Assessment (sPGA) 0/1 at Week 12 (W12) in the anti‐IL‐17A cohort (ixekizumab [IXE], secukinumab) vs. all other approved biologics. Secondary outcomes include the proportion of patients who achieve PASI 75/90/100, absolute PASI scores ≤5, ≤2 and ≤1, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score of 0/1 at W12 between the two cohorts and among the individual biologics. Comparative effectiveness analyses were conducted using Frequentist Model Averaging (FMA), a novel causal inference machine learning approach. Missing data for binary outcomes were imputed as non‐response.
Results
Patient profiles in the anti‐IL‐17A cohort and other biologics cohort were similar, with more frequent comorbid psoriatic arthritis and less frequent exposure to conventional treatments in the patients receiving anti‐IL‐17A biologics. At W12, 71.4% of patients who received an anti‐IL‐17A biologic achieved PASI 90 and/or sPGA 0/1 compared to 58.6% of patients who received other biologics (odds ratios [OR], 1.9; 95% confidence intervals [CI], [1.6, 2.4]). Similar findings were observed for secondary outcomes.
Conclusions
These results reflect the high efficacy and early onset of skin clearance of IL‐17A inhibitors observed in randomized clinical trials and confirm the effectiveness of anti‐IL‐17A biologics in the real‐world setting.
A 58-year-old woman presented with a 3-week history of a pruritic rash, which had started a week after commencing treatment with amlodipine. On physical examination, large, well-demarcated erythematous plaques, surrounded by small clusters of clear vesicles, were seen on the patient's torso. Subepidermal blisters with neutrophils and eosinophils were seen in a skin biopsy, and direct immunofluorescence showed deposition of IgA along the basement membrane, in keeping with a diagnosis of linear IgA dermatosis (LAD). Amlodipine was discontinued, and the patient was started on prednisolone 30 mg, supplemented shortly afterwards by dapsone, which resulted in prompt resolution of the rash. Only a few cases of drug-induced LAD have been reported, mostly in association with vancomycin. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case precipitated by amlodipine.
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