Systemic treatment better than UV for psoriasis quality of life

[Fred]

This study set out to see if systemic treatment is any better than UV for psoriasis patients quality of life.

Quote:

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Background:
Psoriasis is a skin inflammatory chronic disease with negative physical, psychological and social repercussions for those affected. However, patients suffering from mild disease also complain about negative impact on their quality of life, making it difficult for physicians to choose the best treatment strategy.

Objectives:
Understanding the impact of systemic treatments on Quality of Life (QoL) in patients with mild psoriasis in daily practice.

Methods:
This is a monocentric retrospective study analysing patients affected by mild psoriasis [Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) ≤ 6]. Patients were divided into two groups, depending on the treatment decision taken by the physicians: patients who received local and/or UV light therapies and patients who were treated with systemic therapies as a first choice. PASI and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores were measured at each visit.

Results:
Patients who received systemic therapies as a first choice reported higher QoL impairment, mainly due to psoriasis lesions localized on visible areas. During Follow-up, this group showed better improvement of PASI score and DLQI compared to patients receiving local and/or UV light treatment.

Conclusions:
Our findings highlight the potential benefit of using systemic therapies in patients with mild psoriasis and high QoL impairment. This study will help physicians to make the right therapeutic decision in patients suffering from mild psoriasis.

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com

*Early view funding unknown.

[jiml]

That's a very interesting study, and I agree with the findings although I think there is a place for uv treatment but usually any clearance is short lived ...so to my mind of course the quality of life is better with systemic treatment and often should be offered much earlier in treatment ....
I have suffered since I was 17 and had countless short term uv treatments which did nothing for my quality of life it was not until I was 60 that I got systemic treatment and it's difficult to express the difference in the quality of my life but for the first time in my life I felt " normal"

[Fred]

That's a very interesting study, and I agree with the findings although I think there is a place for uv treatment but usually any clearance is short lived ...so to my mind of course the quality of life is better with systemic treatment and often should be offered much earlier in treatment ....
I have suffered since I was 17 and had countless short term uv treatments which did nothing for my quality of life it was not until I was 60 that I got systemic treatment and it's difficult to express the difference in the quality of my life but for the first time in my life I felt " normal"

Yes same here my time on light was short as was my time on methotrexate, I just gave up in the end and went it alone. That was till I couldn't move in my 50s, but luckily for me the Bio's had arrived and there was more understanding about how it effected peoples lives.  

Looking back 30 odd years ago it was different no one cared about your quality of life, it was just a skin problem that would clear up. How wrong were they, I would love to meet those doctors again.  

[jiml]

That's a very interesting study, and I agree with the findings although I think there is a place for uv treatment but usually any clearance is short lived ...so to my mind of course the quality of life is better with systemic treatment and often should be offered much earlier in treatment ....
I have suffered since I was 17 and had countless short term uv treatments which did nothing for my quality of life it was not until I was 60 that I got systemic treatment and it's difficult to express the difference in the quality of my life but for the first time in my life I felt " normal"

Yes same here my time on light was short as was my time on methotrexate, I just gave up in the end and went it alone. That was till I couldn't move in my 50s, but luckily for me the Bio's had arrived and there was more understanding about how it effected peoples lives.  

Looking back 30 odd years ago it was different no one cared about your quality of life, it was just a skin problem that would clear up. How wrong were they, I would love to meet those doctors again.  

Yes Fred I think we were neglected in those days but thought that's all there was .....how times have changed.

[Fred]

That's a very interesting study, and I agree with the findings although I think there is a place for uv treatment but usually any clearance is short lived ...so to my mind of course the quality of life is better with systemic treatment and often should be offered much earlier in treatment ....
I have suffered since I was 17 and had countless short term uv treatments which did nothing for my quality of life it was not until I was 60 that I got systemic treatment and it's difficult to express the difference in the quality of my life but for the first time in my life I felt " normal"

Yes same here my time on light was short as was my time on methotrexate, I just gave up in the end and went it alone. That was till I couldn't move in my 50s, but luckily for me the Bio's had arrived and there was more understanding about how it effected peoples lives.  

Looking back 30 odd years ago it was different no one cared about your quality of life, it was just a skin problem that would clear up. How wrong were they, I would love to meet those doctors again.  

Yes Fred I think we were neglected in those days but thought that's all there was .....how times have changed.

Yep they are lucky today and don't have to suffer in silence like we did. Having said that I think some still do unfortunately, and all I can say to them is "Go and get help, or better still come and talk to us"

[jiml]

That's a very interesting study, and I agree with the findings although I think there is a place for uv treatment but usually any clearance is short lived ...so to my mind of course the quality of life is better with systemic treatment and often should be offered much earlier in treatment ....
I have suffered since I was 17 and had countless short term uv treatments which did nothing for my quality of life it was not until I was 60 that I got systemic treatment and it's difficult to express the difference in the quality of my life but for the first time in my life I felt " normal"

Yes same here my time on light was short as was my time on methotrexate, I just gave up in the end and went it alone. That was till I couldn't move in my 50s, but luckily for me the Bio's had arrived and there was more understanding about how it effected peoples lives.  

Looking back 30 odd years ago it was different no one cared about your quality of life, it was just a skin problem that would clear up. How wrong were they, I would love to meet those doctors again.  

Yes Fred I think we were neglected in those days but thought that's all there was .....how times have changed.

Yep they are lucky today and don't have to suffer in silence like we did. Having said that I think some still do unfortunately, and all I can say to them is "Go and get help, or better still come and talk to us"

Fred I wish there was a place like this when I was younger to get advice, instead of thinking I was on my own ....how I wish dermatologists now would point sufferers to support groups like this....where we can offer support information and advice