Dermatology Reports (Jul 2022)

Guselkumab for the treatment of severe plaque psoriasis in a schizophrenia patient: a case report

  • Nicoletta Bernardini,
  • Nevena Skroza,
  • Elisabeth Prevete,
  • Federica Marraffa,
  • Ilaria Proietti,
  • Ersilia Tolino,
  • Alessandra Mambrin,
  • Giovanni Rossi,
  • Salvatore Volpe,
  • Giuseppe Bersani,
  • Concetta Potenza

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4081/dr.2022.9476

Abstract

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A wide range of comorbid conditions are associated with psoriasis, many studies have drawn attention to a higher prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities in psoriatic population. Herein, we present a case of a Caucasian 44-years-old man suffering from a severe schizophrenia, who received guselkumab (a human monoclonal antibody targeting the p40 subunit of IL-23) for the treatment of a moderate-to-severe plaque type psoriasis. After 3 months, the patient reached complete resolution of psoriasis without any side effects, maintained at 6 months follow up visit. Some studies have highlighted the hypothesis that an hyperactivation of immune response appears to be one of the main mechanisms underlying the increased risk of this association. In particular, the axis il-17/il-23 plays a central role in the pathogenesis of this disease. Further research will be needed to assess whether anti-IL23 drugs could be a more suitable therapeutic option in psoriatic patients with schizophrenia.

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