Genital psoriasis: Update on clinical practices and therapeutic options

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease with an important inflammatory compound which associates a worldwide prevalence of 0.5% to 8.5%. The involvement of the genital region can be associated with both plaque psoriasis and inverse psoriasis and survey-based studies indicate that up to 45.5% of patients present lesions of genital psoriasis. Genital psoriasis represents a frequent encounter of psoriasis which is often overlooked and which associates a significant impact on their quality of life, measured by Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores which are twice as high as those of psoriatic patients without genital involvement. Recognising the specific clinical findings represents an important step in establishing the diagnosis and case management. Classical therapeutic options such as topical steroids or modern treatments such as ixekizumab represent important tools in fighting this affliction and regaining the patient’s quality of life. This review aims to emphasize the up-to-date clinical variants of genital psoriasis, the consequences on the quality of life of patients and to present the newest therapeutic options.

Keywords

• psoriasis
• genital psoriasis
• quality of life
• biological agents