“It’s really important,” he says. “These are potentially associated with increased risk of psoriatic arthritis. It is under-recognized in both the rheumatology and dermatology communities.”
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Treat Rheumatic & Skin Disease Globally
Access is a global issue, and many rheumatology patients who wait six months for an appointment also have dermatology issues.
“It can be a tremendous help if the rheumatologist is also comfortable treating any residual skin disease,” Dr. Merola says. “Often, they are using drugs that will treat both. If there is still some leftover skin disease, for example, rheumatologists should be comfortable prescribing appropriate topical steroids. … And don’t prescribe something that is too weak or give a very small tube to a patient who needs a large quantity of medication.”
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.
References
- Kurd SK, Gelfand, JM. The prevalence of previously diagnosed and undiagnosed psoriasis in US adults: Results from NHANES 2003-2004. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2009;60(2):218–224.
- Cozzani E, Larosa M, Parodi A. Skin manifestations associated with anti TNF-α therapy. Clin Dermatology. 2013;2(2):67–71.
- Lee YW, Park EJ, Kwon IH, Kim KH, Kim KJ. Impact of psoriasis on quality of life: relationship between clinical response to therapy and change in health-related quality of life. Ann Dermatology. 2010 Nov;22(4):389–396. doi: 10.5021/ad.2010.22.4.389. Epub 2010 Nov 5.