Non-pharmacological treatments of nail psoriasis and the assessment of therapeutic progress

Abstract

Treatment of nail psoriasis, a condition that often accompanies cutaneous and arthropatic psoriasis, is a challenge. Symptoms characteristic for the clinical presentation of nail plate are: oil drops, subungual hyperkeratosis, splinter haemorrhages and onycholysis. The most common symptom - pitting - may be observed within the matrix. It is also accompanied by nail crumbling, leukonychia and red spots in the lunula. Pharmacotherapy is often chronic, associated with side effects, and non-effective in many cases. Non-pharmacological treatments involve local effects of UV, IPL or laser beam. The efficacy of these methods is documented. In most cases they are not associated with adverse events encountered in systemic therapies. Treatment efficacy may be assessed using the NAPSI score, which allows monitoring the resolution of lesions during and after conclusion of treatment.

Keywords

• nail psoriasis
• laser therapy
• assessment scale